The Statute of Labourers and the response to the Black Death
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the government's response to peasant demands for higher wages.
Key learning points
- The Black Death killed around half of the English population.
- The Black Death caused labour shortages.
- Labourers began to demand better pay for their work.
- The Statute of Labourers ordered labourers to stop asking for more money.
- Historians disagree about the aims of the Statute of Labourers.
Keywords
Peasant - a person in the medieval period who worked the land and had few legal protections
Negotiate - to obtain something by discussion
Statute - a written law
Labourer - a person doing unskilled work for wages
Ordinance - an order given by a ruler, often a king
Common misconception
That the Statute of Labourers immediately forced all peasants to return to their home manors and to cease negotiating higher wages.
Through the interpretations section of the lesson, draw out the point that the Statute of Labourers was unenforceable in many cases.
Teacher tip
Pupils may find it useful to see a diagram representing supply and demand in relation to the post-Black Death labour crisis.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The Revolt occurred in 1381.
Q2.In which year did the Black Death first reach England?
Q3.What was the name of the sumptuous palace that was a target of the 1381 Revolt?
Q4.Which of the following were not symptoms of the Black Death?
Q5.What was the name of the port where it is thought the Black Death first arrived in England?
Q6.Most historians now believe that between one third and a of England's population died of the Black Death in 1348-49.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Why did lords have a problem when half the peasants died of the Black Death?
Q2.A is a person doing unskilled work for wages.
Q3.In 1349, King Edward III issued the Ordinance of .
Q4.What did the Ordinance of 1349 order?
Q5.Match the words to their correct definitions.
Q6.Put these events in chronological order.
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: The Statute of Labourers and the response to the Black Death, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: The Statute of Labourers and the response to the Black Death, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The Peasants' Revolt: why do historians disagree about its causes? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.