Medieval Suffolk: An Economic and Social History, 1200-1500, Volume 1The late middle ages were without doubt the most interesting period in Suffolk's history. By the end of the eleventh century Suffolk was wealthy, densely populated, highly commercialised and urbanised; in the fourteenth century its people faced three of the most tumultuous events of the last millennium, the Great Famine (1315-22), the Black Death (1349) and the Peasants' Revolt (1381). Their response was flexible and innovative, because by 1500 Suffolk was one of the richest and most industrialised regions of England, with a strong economy based on cloth manufacture, fishing, dairying and tanning. |
Contents
1 Introduction | 1 |
2 Landlords and their Estates 12001349 | 10 |
3 Peasants and their Lifestyles 12001349 | 36 |
4 The Agrarian Economy 12001349 | 67 |
5 The Suffolk Landscape 12001349 | 90 |
6 Towns and the Urban Environment | 116 |
7 Commerce Crafts and Industry | 152 |
8 Pestilence Rebellion and the Decline of Villeinage 13491500 | 176 |
9 The Rural Economy 13501500 | 204 |
Rural Society 13501500 | 242 |
11 Towns Trade and Industry 13501500 | 264 |
12 Conclusion | 290 |
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Common terms and phrases
abbey acres active Ages agricultural Aldham arable areas Bailey Black Death borough Brandon burgesses Bury St Edmunds cent changes cloth communal contained court court held crops dairy decline demand demesne dominated Dunwich early East Economy England English especially established estates evidence example existed fairs farming fell fields fifteenth century Fornham fourteenth century grain greater held higher History holdings household houses hundred important income increased industry Ipswich John labour Lakenheath land landlords late leased less levels living London lords major manors manufacture medieval Middle Mildenhall Norfolk pasture peasants period places population possessed produce proportion PSIA rates recorded reflected relatively rent residents rising rolls rural settlement sheep social society sold SROB SROI standards status structure success Suffolk tenants tenures textile thirteenth century towns trade urban usually villein Walsham wealth