Life in towns in Norman England
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe features of town life and changes to towns under the Normans.
Key learning points
- There were around 100 towns in Norman England in 1086, but most had a few hundred inhabitants.
- The immediate impact of the Norman conquest was bad for towns, with houses demolished and trade disrupted.
- Over time, many towns grew as Norman lords spent money in towns and trade links developed with Normandy and Flanders.
- Unlike in some areas, Anglo-Saxons with skills in crafts and industries continued to do well under Norman rule.
- Immigration from Normandy and Jewish immigration were a feature of Norman town life.
Keywords
Trade - buying and selling products and services with the aim of making a profit
Immigration - the process of people coming from one country to another to live there
Guild - organisation set up by craftspeople to fix the price of goods, ensure quality and protect wages and working conditions
Common misconception
Towns and cities have always been where the richest people in society live.
For most of English history, the richest people were landowners and lived in the manor house of their manorial estate.
Teacher tip
Students could see if nearby towns or cities are recorded in Domesday Book and, if so, how many people lived there in 1066 and 1086.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word describes buying and selling products and services with the aim of making a profit?
Q2.Which word describes the process of people coming from one country to another to live there?
Q3.What did the right of forfeiture allow William?
Q4.Complete the sentence: William wanted the English to accept him as the heir to King Edward the Confessor.
Q5.Match the examples to whether they show change or continuity in Norman England.
Edwin and Morcar's earldoms and role in government
who filled the role of earls and prelates post 1070
administrative and legal systems
who filled the roles of sheriffs
Q6.What was the meaning of the murdrum fine?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word describes an organisation set up by craftspeople to fix the price of goods, ensure quality and protect wages and working conditions?
Q2.Complete the sentence with the missing number: There were around towns in Norman England in 1086, but most had a few hundred inhabitants.
Q3.How many towns in Norman England had populations of over 4000 people by 1086?
Q4.What was the immediate impact of the Norman Conquest on towns?
Q5.What percentage of Winchester residents had Norman names by 1110?
Q6.Why were Norman towns unhealthy places to live?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Life in towns in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Life in towns in Norman England, 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 4 history lessons from the British Depth Study: Norman England, c1066–c1100 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.