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Medieval Manor Essay

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Medieval manors were self-sustaining parts of feudalism. Manors contained the lord’s mansion, called the manor house, the lord’s demesne, cruck houses for the peasants, barns, a mill, orchards, woodlands, fish ponds, an outdoor oven, and a place to keep bees. The manor was split up into farmland, woodlands, pastureland, meadows, and at least one village (Jovinelly and Netelkos 9). The villages weren’t very large, they usually had less than 600 people (Cels 6); but, “Each village had peasants’ homes, a church, a mill where grain was ground into flour, ovens in which bread was baked, and a forge, where a blacksmith made horseshoes and iron tools” (Cels 4). There wasn’t much need to leave the manor, as the people had just about all they needed to live. …show more content…

The villages were self-sufficient (Cels 6). They produced their own food, clothing, and farming tools (Cels 6). Peasants grew crops in the fields, and “livestock grazed in meadows” (Cels 5). Along with growing food, they also made products for their families, their lord, and to sell to other towns (Cels 8). They farmed grains like oats, barley, and wheat, which were then made into flour to bake with (Jovinelly and Netelkos 12). The forests on the manor provided the people with wood, which was used for building and firewood, and acorns to feed pigs (Cels 5). Nobles on the manor hunted deer, bears, wolves and pigs (Cels 5). These animals, along with sheep, were used for food as well as wool (Jovinelly and Netelkos 12). Manors also had ponds for fish, and beehives for honey, which was used as a sweetener (Jovinelly and Netelkos 12). Medieval manors sustained themselves, and had all they needed on the

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