HIST-338 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Thatching, Gout, White Bread
21 Nov 2020
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Far better to retain one"s honor by fulfilling one"s duty as a ruler of men than to enter the commonplace world of the market even if that meant missing out on some of the enormous profits available there. So a higher preponderance of freeman farmers became the norm on most of the continent. The physical appearance of peasant villages and homes had changed little from the eleventh century. Homes were still one- or two-room hovels built on rubble foundations thatched roofs and timber frameworks plastered with mud and straw. A good insulator, thatch kept rain from entering the house and kept the warmth of the central hearth from escaping, it is also highly flammable and susceptible to infestation by vermin. Floors were usually nothing but packed earth covered with straw. Furniture was sparse and simple, the two essential items being a bed and a table.
