I was joined once again today by MIKE DAVIES, Chairman of the RAYLEIGH TOWN MUSEUM and today Mike took us way back in time for a glimpse of what life might have been like in the 13th century, in what we might call, THE MIDDLE AGES.
For peasantry life could be hard, with long hours of work, a limited diet and pretty little in the way of comfort.
Lives would have been based a relationship of submission with the lord or owner of the land and centred around farming.
Peasants in England were divided into two main classes: Freemen and Serfs. Serfs were bound to labor for the lord (usually three days a week), while freemen had more freedom in the labor they chose to perform. Instead of paying their way through labor, freemen paid rent in taxes.
The differences and the rules governing each group were complex, with much mobility between the two groups as they lived among each other, intermarried, and bore children together so disputes were often taken to the courts.
Peasants, whether serfs or freemen, were given substantial rights. They had representation, and could and often did, argue their issues in court.
Although landlords tried to keep the peace with those under their care, there were altercations that could cause a peasant to flee.
One option open to peasants looking to move on was to escape to the towns which were growing at the time, and given that England’s population had grown rapidly from the year 1200, rising to 5 million by 1400, which resulted in the establishment of towns. This rapid growth meant that towns were always looking for labour, and a peasant could easily find work and protection there.
Indeed during that period roads were full of travellers from all walks of life, and traveling was a way to meet new and interesting people.
Uprisings and rebellions sometimes happened over grievances about rights.
War and conflict could be a feature.
This was the time of the Hundred Years War but serfs were not typically forced to fight in wars, in the same way that knights or free men were.
However, there were instances where serfs could be called upon to serve in a military capacity, particularly in local conflicts or as part of a lord’s retinue.
In some cases, lords could conscript serfs to fulfil labour or support roles, such as building fortifications or providing supplies, but direct military service was less common.
Free peasants, who had more rights than serfs, could also be called upon to serve, especially in local defence. Overall, while serfs could be involved in supporting roles, they were not the primary soldiers in the armies of the High Middle Ages.
It was also a time of both plague and famine, and by the end of the 1300s, the long-standing system of serfdom which had previously been the core of English socioeconomic and class relations was in irreversible decline.
Even so a peasant was under an economic obligation to pay a tax (known as a ‘tithe’ to the Church), which came in the form of 10% of the value of the land that he farmed.
At a time when peasants were struggling to get by, this tax was deeply unpopular, although it was rarely challenged due to the deep-set nature of religious faith.
Added to this the Hundred Years War, inevitably lead to an increase in taxes, which greatly angered the peasantry who barely made enough to survive without having to dish out sums of money to a war which ultimately made little difference to their lives.
The tax raised over £22,000 but was deeply unpopular and its successor two years later, in 1379, tried to use a sliding scale — taxing the wealthier more — in an effort to lessen its unpopularity. All this resulted in, however, was less money being raised (only £18,000 out of an ambitious £50,000 goal) due to tax evasion amongst the nobility.
At this point the Government found itself in an impossible position – the wealthy had money to give but the means to avoid doing so, whilst the poor had no way of evading tax but little to contribute.
This was made all the more worse by the introduction of a third “Poll Tax” in 1381 which applied to everyone over the age of 15.
This tax proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back leading to THE PEASANT’s REVOLT, and whilst this was ultimately crushed and failed to achieve its aims of ending serfdom, reducing land rent prices, and abolishing the higher clergy, it must also be recognised that at that time these aims were radical, but it did result in the poll tax not being used again.
And we all know what happened the last time that an attempt was made to introduce a poll tax!
Listen here to all that Mike had to tell me today: –
In the second hour of today’s programme, we nipped over to Germany for a spot of pizza.
Apparently one of the best selling dishes supplied by a pizza bar in Dusseldorf, Germany, was simply described on the menu as “number 40”
But what made this item stand out from their normal fayre, was that it was automatically accompanied by a side order of cocaine.
Police were first tipped off by food inspectors in March and when drug squad officers raided the restaurant manager’s apartment, he threw a bag of drugs out of the window, only for it to fall straight into the arms of the police officers standing below.
Police uncovered 1.6kg of cocaine, 40g of cannabis and €268,000 (£223,480) in cash.
Not surprisingly the 36-year old manager was detained for a few days, but amazingly he quickly re-opened his restaurant and resumed supplying pizza Number 40 thereby allowing investigators to take a closer look at the supply chain.
After several weeks no less than 150 officers were able to bust an entire drug ring leading to the arrest of three people, including the 22-year-old suspected head of the operation. They also raided the homes and businesses of another 12 suspects.
Two cannabis farms were also revealed in nearby towns grossing 300 and 60 plants respectively.
This time the pizzeria’s manager luck ran out, being arrested as he tried to leave the country and is still in custody.
I very much look forward to the pleasure of your company once again tomorrow,
Scott