1.13.16

Changes Under the Normans - Town Features

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Features of Norman Towns

The new Norman towns had a number of features that were different from the Anglo-Saxon towns which preceded them.

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Key features

  • Each town had a mix of houses and business properties (probably run by members of guilds - like the blacksmiths, butchers or bakers).
  • Churches and religious houses (abbeys containing nuns and monasteries containing monks) could also be found in towns. Abbeys and monasteries sometimes provided healthcare and food for the very poor.
  • Peasants and most people in England lived in tiny houses in the town centre. They would be cramped on narrow streets, with farmland surrounding the town centre.
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Role of citizens

  • If a villein (peasant) escaped to a town and lived there over a year, he became a free-man.
  • Citizens of towns were called burgesses.
    • They were responsible for acting as watch-men on the outskirts of the city.
    • They helped the militia when needed and could rule on disputes between people.
  • Citizens also paid taxes to the noble or earl in charge of their town.
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Charters

  • If a city reached a certain size, it could ask its local lord who would ask the king for a charter for independence.
  • A charter meant that a city could run itself and collect taxes from its citizens as it wished, although proceeds still had to be paid to the king and the local noble or Earl.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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