Which sources reveal the most about medieval peasants?
Which sources reveal the most about medieval peasants?
Slide deck
Download slide deck
Lesson details
Key learning points
- In this lesson, we will learn about court records, meet a notorious rule-breaking peasant, and then look at a range of different sources. We will then decide which source reveals the most about medieval peasants.
Licence
This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.
Video
Share with pupils
Loading...
5 Questions
Q1.
Which of these best described the study of material culture?
Building your own reconstruction of past buildings using authentic materials
Searching through records for written descriptions of daily lives
Visiting an historical site and comparing it to a modern map
Q2.
Wharram Percy is an excellent option for studying material culture because...
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
Q3.
The child's leather shoe discovered in a pond had several leather patches. Which of these conclusions did Christopher Dyer reach?
All medieval shoes had lots of patches.
It had been built to be as strong as possible, and the patches were added by the original maker.
The child who owned it did not like it's patchy appearance, and threw it away in the pond.
Q4.
Why were doom paintings often found in churches?
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.
Q5.
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?
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.
5 Questions
Q1.
What was the name of Walsham's most rule-breaking peasant?
Peter Batmann
Peter Kingarth
Peter Pann
Q2.
Which source is best summarised by the statement 'An excellent insight into peasants’ jobs, but with no guarantees that the illustrations are fully accurate'
Archaeological remains of a peasant house
Domesday Book
The court records of Walsham-le-Willows
Q3.
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'
Archaeological remains of a peasant house
The court records of Walsham-le-Willows
The Luttrell Psalter
Q4.
Why is it very difficult to say that one source reveals more than another?
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.
Q5.
What of these statements about medieval peasants is false?
The vast majority of medieval peasants worked in farming settlements
They often gained excellent knowledge of how land ownership worked
They were not always happy with their position in society, and would fight back against their lord