LECTURE OUTLINE FOR HISTORY 204

                                                                       Prof. Martha Carlin

                                                                         Week 6: Tuesday

                                                   DAILY LIFE IN TOWN AND CASTLE

There is little privacy, even for the wealthy
Formal manners are very important
The rich enjoy many luxuries (grand houses with private gardens; fine clothing, furnishings, and food; numerous
        servants, etc.), but little real comfort (by modern standards)
Time is reckoned by church bells
Shops are often clustered by trade or craft; shopping is done with silver pennies (cut as necessary
    into halfpennies and farthings)
Foods are preserved by drying, salting, smoking, and pickling in brine
Dinner (the main meal) is eaten in late morning or at mid-day; supper is a much lighter meal
Women are excluded from public office, from higher education, and from the professions, and are legally
    subordinated to their father (while unmarried) or husband (during marriage); their reputation is critical to
    their family's honor, and their manners and behavior are closely watched
Childbirth is very dangerous; maternal and infant mortality rates are high
The children of the wealthy are cared for by wetnurses, nurses, tutors, and other servants
Marriages among the wealthy are usually arranged by parents or guardians; consanguinity (marriage
    to a relative) is forbidden by the Church, as is divorce
Weddings and funerals of the rich are grand affairs, with religious services, almsgiving, and banqueting
 

Online readings:

  William Fitzstephen, Description of London (excerpt), c. 1173
        Describes, inter alia, the city's churches, defenses, size, division into administrative wards (there
        are 24, each governed by an alderman), its rule by sheriffs (appointed by the king; London does
        not yet have a commune or a mayor); its suburbs, schools, shops, and recreations

   Christine de Pizan (1364-c. 1430), The Treasure of the City of Ladies: responsibilities of
        women, rich and poor
        Note that ladies of the gentry and aristocracy are advised to educate themselves in all aspects
        of estate administration and finances, since so often the husbands are away from home and the
        wives are left in charge.  Similarly, urban wives are advised to learn all about their husbands'
        trades or crafts, so that they can assist and advise their husbands and run the business in their
        husbands' absence.

   Jean "Clopinel" de Meun's continuation of Guillaume de Lorris's allegorical poem, The Romance
       of the Rose: Duenna's advice on table manners for young women, late 13th cent.
        A well-behaved lady sees that everyone else is served first; she makes sure to attend to
        her guests' preferences and needs; she is very sparing in her own eating and drinking, and very
        dainty in her table manners; and she guards herself especially against getting drunk or falling
        asleep at the table.

    Expenses of the Aragonese ambassadors in England, 1415:
       The four ambassadors and their servants spent almost £2 per day, mostly on food.  A skilled
       craftsman in London in 1415 earned about 6-8d. per day, or 3-4s. per week.  If he spent 75%
       of his income on food, what could he have afforded to feed his household each week on 27-36d.?

                                                                                Thursday:

                                                                      MIDTERM EXAM