A SERF IN A MEDIEVAL MANOR
My name is Brishen and I am a serf living on a manor farm.I have three strips of land in different
fields on the lord's manor. Unfortunately I don't own the land but in return for living on the lords land I give him some of the crops I grow and also agree to work on his farm 3 days a week. I also lend him two oxen for seven days each year to plough his fields,as well as cutting a cartload of wood for him every year. If I want to use his water mill,leave the village or even get married I have to ask his permission!! As well as giving the Lord crops I also have to give a tithe (one tenth of my crops) to the parish priest for the upkeep of the church. It's all give,give,give. I am really busy throughout the year and each season brings a new job. In Spring, I plough the land with my oxen and sow seeds of oats,peas and beans for the coming harvest.Keeping the field free from weeds is a hard job but it has to be done. In Summer I cut the grass and make hay to feed the livestock through the winter.
In Autumn any animals that cannot be fed during the winter are killed and we preserve the meat by covering it with salt and storing it away for the months ahead. My wife Adela grows vegetables in a small patch beside our hut. She makes butter nd cheese from cow's milk and also makes all our clothes by spinning wool into rough thread. She made me a fine cloth tunic and felt hat. I get my leather boots from the tanner in the village. My wife wears a woollen dress and a wimple ( a linen cloth wrapped around her head and neck). I also wear a type of trousers similar to legging called a Hose.
Our home is a simple one room cottage built around a wooden frame. The walls are made from wattle and daub( woven branches covered with a mixture of mud,hay and manure) and the roof is thatched.
There is no glass in the windows and we have a hole in the roof as our chimney.We share our house with the animals and a piece of sacking is hung from the roof to divide up the area.The only furniture we have is a table and a few stools. The floor is also bare. There is an open fire in the centre of the floor and its here where we cook our meals. We mainly eat bread, porridge nd pottage( vegatable stew) washed down by beer. We only ever eat meat on special occasions such as Christmas. At Christmas we have a holiday which lasts for 12 days. I decorate the cottage with holly and mistletoe. The Lord even invites us to a feast in the manor house.We have another feast on Jan 6th and then take the decorations down. Another large festival is held on May 1st . We all dress in green and a young boy and girl from the village dress up as the king and queen of the village. In the evening we dance around the maypole. This is a tree which is cut down and placed in the centre of the village.
Law breakers are tried at the manor house. If we don't pay a fine thats imposed by the courts , an animal is taken away and put in a pound until it's paid. Life is tough for a serf but we do manage a little time for pastimes on a Sunday and holidays. I love watching the wrestling and cockfights and also attending the fair thats held every year.
BY DARRAGH MOORE
Law breakers are tried at the manor house. If we don't pay a fine thats imposed by the courts , an animal is taken away and put in a pound until it's paid. Life is tough for a serf but we do manage a little time for pastimes on a Sunday and holidays. I love watching the wrestling and cockfights and also attending the fair thats held every year.
BY DARRAGH MOORE
