Life from the commoner’s point of view

Although this article talks about life in a feudal society, things are very similar for people in other cultures. The info presented here can act as a general guide line, but should not be assumed to be totally accurate in all countries.

The small 400 acre estate.

It is the normal grant given to a knight, making them part of the land owning noble class, although they are still far from the true aristocracy. The estate offers income and resources so the knight can supply men at arms (or pay scootage) to his overlord.

This example is presented in the classic 2km x 2km square, although reality deforms the square toward natural boundaries. A small stream will usually form a central feature.

The Lord’s house is usually a lightly fortified manor, with a wooden perimeter fence, not a real castle. Next to his compound, will be the village square with a church, a few craft shops and a tavern. There are usually 5 non-farming families. The Mill is of course located next to the stream, with a bridge-damn creating a millpond to provide steady flow for the mill's waterwheel. Between the pond and the lord's house is the village common green, used for any number of activities.

On this estate we have 10 farming families who are responsible for the fields, which are arranged in 5 groups of 4 fields. This arrangement is practical because of the system of crop rotation used; 2 grain, 1 root crop, 1 fallow. Some fields are 10 acres others are 5 acres. In this example we have a total of 160 acres devoted to crops, although a quarter is always left fallow so the real productive number is 120 acres.

If the land is of average quality then, with this arrangement, it can support 120 people. The general rule is 1 acre per person gives enough food for 1 year and seed to replant. However the population of an estate like this is usually between 80-100 adults, children and elderly. So there is a reasonable surplus, which can be kept in storage or sold at market.

In most feudal kingdoms the farmers receive a set amount, for example 5 acres worth of crops, per house hold. ( If the house has more people they have to stretch their food ) The Lord claims all the rest. The crafts men do not receive any; they trade their services for crops. It is the Lord, with his control of the surplus, who profits by taking it to market at the nearby town.  

Also on the map is a large open pasture (40 acres) near the lord's house and a small fenced pasture (5 acres) up the road. They offer grazing and safety areas for livestock. Typically each family owns a cow and a few smaller animals, which they keep at home but graze on the pasture. The Lord usually owns a bull and several horses. In exchange for the use of his bull, the farmers provide the lord with milk.

Wood for building and fuel is taken from the many scattered wood lots. In this example there is about 70 acres. The general rule is 1 acre provides 1 cord of wood, and each house needs 5. Thus this estate can supply 14 houses with fire wood. ( If you have been paying attention you will notice there are 16 house holds on the estate. This kind of situation, with a small imbalance, is actually common. People must be inventive in dealing with it. ) Cutting is always selective; unless some emergency requires it, clear cutting is avoided. Cutting is usually done in winter when it is most easy to drag the timber across the fields. Usually the grain mill is also a saw mill.

It is important to notice that most of the wood lots are at the edge of the estate. They usually blend into other wooded areas which are either part of another estate or undeveloped lands. ( All such land is legally owned by the Baron. )

 

Having taken a quick tour of the small estate, let’s get down to what it’s like to live there.

The personality of the Lord is critical to all aspects of life for the people on his estate. Regardless of the amount of freedom the commoners have, in a working sense, they are his people. The Lord is both judge and police chief. He is also able to create rules for his estate; which so long as they do not contradict Royal Law, are binding. He of course is above the law in most respects. A commoner’s complaint about his Lord, made to the Baron of the region, must be serious and have solid evidence, or he risks greave punishment.

Unlike some of the higher nobles, the Lord of a small estate is usually well known to his people. He interacts with them almost every day in a variety of leadership roles. His family is very much part of the community. Although friendship between social classes is undignified, it often happens between the Lord’s children and those of the village.

Although it is called a manor, the Lord’s house is usually rather modest and has very little in the way of staff. A few young men and women from the village work as servants. In addition there are usually 3 trained warriors, the leader of whom is the Lord’s squire. Keeping a large guard force on a small estate is not cost effective.

Rent is paid in part with crops and in part by labour. Everyone including the craftsmen owes a certain number of days work to the Lord. The exact number and terms range greatly, but amounts to 1 day per week. In addition each household is required to provide one man (or boy over age 15) for military service. Typically a Lord will only take 10 men with him when called for war. 

The next most important person on the estate is the elder cleric. Typically a village church will have 2 fully ordained clerics and 2 novices in training. The elder cleric will often be married, while the younger will not. The church offers all education and spiritual guidance. It also provides most medical attention. The church is built at the Lord’s expense and then funded by donations. For performing rituals and other services, the clerics expect food and other basic goods.

The three other people of importance in any village are; the miller, the black smith, and the tavern keeper. The mill is usually set up to grind grain and saw timber. The miller is the local expert in all things mechanical and also acts as wheel write; making and fixing wagons. The smith handles all metal work, including weapons and armour. He often has skill at leather working too. The tavern acts as public hall, although it’s not a real inn it can serve this use. The tavern keeper is the maker of all alcohol and often skilled in pottery.

Unlike towns with a structured system of guilds in which craftsmen specialize in only one skill, the crafters in a village usually have a wider field of interest. The farmers likewise tend to be generalists. Tradition, more than law, divides tasks between men and woman according to the natural tendency of mothers to be needed at home. Women work around the house, while men are off in the fields.

A typical northern style house.

( Carsis is a fantasy world so yes, basic indoor pluming is common. ) 

Most farm houses follow the pattern shown here; a long room used as kitchen and living area, with one bedroom for all kids and another for adults. A fire place is central to the building with an opening for each room. The bathroom has a water catching system on top and an outflow pipe to a pit away from the house. The entry way acts as a wind break a very important feature in winter, however most homes have a back door which is more commonly used during nice weather. When ever possible the house is oriented so the wall facing north has no windows or openings and is covered with dirt, which acts as insulation. 

These homes tend to be rather dark, having only small windows. The rooms also tend to be cluttered with everything the family owns. Of course there is a great variation on details of design depending on local geography and climate. Northern homes are mostly concerned with keeping warm in winter, while homes in the south are made to stay cool.

Next to the house is usually a small barn for live stock and food storage. Cats or owls are encouraged to live in the barn to keep away rodents. Behind the barn is usually a garden for crops that are not grown in huge amounts. It provides important variety to the family diet.

To understand the commoner’s point of view you must imagine living in this setting. You own a small house on a plot of land with a small garden and a few animals. You work the fields that belong to the Lord for a share of the crops. Everyone around you lives a similar life style. Coins are rare; barter is common. A trip to the market town, about half a day away, is as far as you will ever travel.

The Barony at large

( This is a simple example, it is almost never a perfect square. )

The area that can effectively be controlled by a central authority, the Baron, is 20x20 km. This is a well accepted fact all over Carsis, based on the time it takes for a message to be sent from any point in the area to the center, (half a day) and a reply sent back (another half day). Of course terrain does affect a real Barony a lot and the shape is often distorted to fit natural features.

In this example; we have 5 large 5x5 km estates, including the Baron’s own at the center, we have 15 medium 3x3 km estates, and 10 small 2x2 km estates. They are arranged so that whenever possible an estate has a side facing the undeveloped land; the big forest areas.

The road network links each village with two or more of its neighbors, so that the average distance is 2 or 3 km between each. Life on an estate is not isolated; it is an easy walk to the neighboring village. However the walk to the Baron’s market town can be lengthy, 8 km or more for the estates near the edge of the map.

Going to market is not a difficult task, but most people do not do it very often, because almost all their needs can be met on the estate. The goods sold at market are mostly luxury items, useful but not essential to survival. However there are two times during the year when everyone tries to go to town; the mid-summer festival, which is essentially just a party and the harvest festival, which is a combination business event and party.

With out a doubt the harvest festival is the big event of the year. After the crops are in, the Lords pay tribute to the Baron, then they sell surplus produce at the market. Some of this is local trade, but the real money is made selling to merchants who take the food stuffs and animals off to the big city. Depending on local laws, individual farmers can also get in on selling their produce too. Aside from doing some trading the festival is a time to socialize with people from other estates.

By tradition, you may not marry a person from your own estate. The church explains this as a way to keep blood lines fresh. It is clearly an extent of the religious commandment not to mate with any close family member. Festival time is often when marriages are arranged or when the intended are allowed to meat.

Demographics of the Barony  

In terms of population, if we use average numbers we find; Small estates 90x10=900 people. Medium estates 150x15=2250 people. Large estates 400x5=2000 people. Plus the market town itself has about 800 people. Thus we find a total population for the Barony of about 5950.  In a 20x20 km ( 400 square km ) area, we have a population density of about 15 people per square km. This does not seem like a lot.  

According to Medieval Demographics Made Easy; “The average population density for a fully-developed medieval country is from 30 per square mile (for countries with lots of rocks, and bed weather) to a limit of about 120 per square mile, (for a land with rich soil, favourable seasons or a touch of magical help).”  But we should recall that 1 square mile is 2.5 square km. If we run the demographics with this in mind, we find 38 people per square mile, a low number but with in reason.

It must be stressed here, that the above example for a Barony on Carsis is typical of many feudal kingdoms, but is not the absolute norm in every nation. Certainly old Baronies and those located at important points will have more people.

From a writer’s point, a low population density and a bit of wilderness between each Barony is essential to the fantasy setting. A huge area of civilized farming estates is sensible enough, in some places, but rather dull in terms of adventure story plots. Thus it will be true for many parts of Carsis, for reasons of terrain and political policy, that a Barony has several miles of empty land, owned by the Crown, between it and its neighbour.