Which sources reveal the most about medieval peasants?

History

What was the name of Walsham's most rule-breaking peasant?

Archaeological remains of a peasant house

Which source is best summarised by the statement 'An excellent insight into peasants’ jobs, but with no guarantees that the illustrations are fully accurate'

Which source is best summarised by the statement 'An excellent overview of rural life in England, but lacking precise information about women and daily life for peasants'

Because it depends on what you are wanting to investigate.

Because most medieval sources are pretty useless at telling us anything.

Because the perfect source has still not been discovered, and is still lying underground.

Because we can only trust written sources, but the peasants did not write about their lives.

Why is it very difficult to say that one source reveals more than another?

The vast majority of medieval peasants worked in farming settlements

They often gained excellent knowledge of how land ownership worked

They were easily able to ignore the teachings of the Church

They were not always happy with their position in society, and would fight back against their lord

What of these statements about medieval peasants is false?

Building your own reconstruction of past buildings using authentic materials

Examining the objects and buildings of past communities

Searching through records for written descriptions of daily lives

Visiting an historical site and comparing it to a modern map

Which of these best described the study of material culture?

It is in London, so university historians can visit it easily with their students

It was a totally unique village, unlike any other in England. This makes it very interesting.

It was a very large town, so has lots of examples of ordinary lives

It was deserted in the sixteenth century, meaning it has been preserved.

Wharram Percy is an excellent option for studying material culture because...

It had been built to be as strong as possible, and the patches were added by the original maker.

It was a valuable item, and the poor family that owned it needed to keep repairing it.

The child who owned it did not like it's patchy appearance, and threw it away in the pond.

The child's leather shoe discovered in a pond had several leather patches. Which of these conclusions did Christopher Dyer reach?

Medieval peasants believed painting fire on the wall would keep the building warm.

Peasants, who read the Bible often, believed it was their duty to paint these pictures.

They were used to scare away peasants from the building.

They were used to teach peasants, who often could not read, about heaven and hell.

Why were doom paintings often found in churches?

Domesday Book, because the book is decorated with illustrations of daily life.

Domesday Book, because we can see how common these items were across the country.

The Luttrell Psalter, because the book contains lots of written information about daily life.

The Luttrell Psalter, because we might find a peasant holding a similar tool.

Let's say we found an unknown object at Wharram Percy, and it looked slightly like a handheld tool. Which source would be more helpful for providing an answer for what it is?

Which sources reveal the most about medieval peasants?

Lesson outcome