Farm labourers and servants on a manorial demesne.

Pieter Bruegel, Haymaking, 1565

Pieter Bruegel, The Harvesters, 1565

Research article (see textbook)Specialized vocabulary:a) The estate : a landed estate – demesne – holdings – a manor – a manor

court – a township – tenancies – messuages – estate apparatus -b) The staff: customary labour – the manorial staff – the worforce – full-

time workers – day labourers – wage labour – yeoman – husbandmen – wet nurse – carter – ploughman - shepherd

c) Tasks : husbandry – crop growing – marle the soil – reap – harvest – plough – cart – trim hedges – clear gutters

d) Farm life : cattle – animal husbandry – rams – pannage - e) Agriculture: oat – wheat – barley – rye – flax - hempf) Management: deeds – co-heiress – expenditure - expenses – reeve – the

bailiff – dowry payments – allowance – perquisite – cash shortage – overdue wage – bargaining power

Academic english: match the phrases with an equivalent

The paper examines an under-explored subjectA set of accountsThe paper discussesThe author argues thatOur knowledge of a key aspect of it is poorThe author has found illuminating documentation

on An unusually rich source of contractsThe author addresses important questionsExploit the materialA complex web of informationHistorians claim that Historians are divided over this questionThe evidence from Newton suggestsIt is noteworthy that It confirms the generally held view thatIt is debatable whether There is no clear evidence thatIt is important to emphasize

It backs up the widespread belief that An intricate set of indicationsUse sourcesIt is worth noticing that More evidence is need to ascertain that The article tackles an underscrutinized issueThe historian claims thatHistorians argue that The first hand material gathered in Newton

showsLiitle is known about this crucial questionThe article focuses on Historians disagree over this pointOne can challenge the idea that It is crucial to underscoreA series of recordsNew documents unearthed by the author shed

light onThe author investigates into major issues

AcademicsDr Deborah Youngs has been a lecturer in medieval history at Swansea since 1998. Her interests

lie in the social and cultural history of Britain and Europe from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. Early research focused on the cultural history of the late medieval English gentry with particular emphasis on their reading preferences and religious devotions. More recently her research has focused on the aging process, exploring the construction, representation and experience of life’s stages in the late Middle Ages.

• Dr Youngs’ interest in age and life stage is developed in a number of essays including ‘The life cycle’ in A cultural history of childhood and the family in the Middle Ages, edited by Louise Wilkinson (Berg, forthcoming) and ‘Adulthood in medieval Europe: The prime of life or midlife crisis?’ in Debating the medieval life cycle, edited by Isabelle Cochelin and Karyn Smith (Brepols, forthcoming). A long-term project focuses on ‘adulthood’ in late medieval Britain, covering the transition from youth to maturity and the aging process to ‘old age’. This includes a regional study of older people in Wales in the medieval and early modern periods.

• At the same time, Dr Youngs’ research into the social and cultural networks of the English aristocracy has led her to the life of Henry, Lord Stafford (1501–1563) and his collection of c.300 books. She is preparing an edition of his letter book for the Staffordshire Record Society, and intends to examine further his literary associations.

Translate the following sentencesLes historiens ne sont pas tous d’accord sur la définition d’un

domestique.Il n’y a aucune preuve de maltraitance des ouvriers agricoles dans les

petits domaines seigneuriaux.L’étude des registres de Newton confirme l’idée généralement admise

selon laquelle l’origine sociale du personnel était diverse.L’auteur avance qu’il est probable que les propriétaires aient embauché

des ouvriers agricoles supplémentaires au moment des moissons.Il y a peu d’éléments qui suggèrent que le pouvoir était uniquement

entre les mains des intendants. Il faut noter que l’ensemble des informations complexes fournies par

les registres du domaine de Newton apporte des éclaircissements sur la gestion d’un domaine de moyenne taille tout au long du XVIe.

BBC History history correspondent interviews Deborah Youngs who recently exploited outstanding material from Newton demesne. Use the article in your textbook to answer the questions. Keep in mind that 1) This magzine does not target

historians or academics but lay readers;

2) This is primarily an oral interview then printed in a magazine.

InterviewDeborah Youngs, you are a specialist in late medieval history at Swansea University and you have recently come across outstanding material from Newton estate. Can you first tell us about the estate. Where is it located? Is it representative of late medieval English demesnes? ……………………………………………………………………………………………Throughout you research did you get a precise picture of Humphrey Newton? What kind of man was he?……………………………………………………………………………………………I guess you were enthusiastic about the estate accounts that you scrutinized. What sort of information do the accounts contain? Why are they so valuable?…………………………………………………………………………………………..The precariousness of today’s jobs is supposed to be a source of stress for modern workers. Were medieval labourers and servants hired for long periods or were they seasonal workers? …………………………………………………………………………………………..

Interview…/…What sort of people would work on Newton estate? How were these people recruited?………………………………………………………………………In an article you wrote in the Agricultural History Review, you explain that labourers and

servants were not paid in cash only. Can you give us more details as to wage payment?………………………………………………………………………..Why was Humphrey eager to provide his servants with decent clothes?…………………………………………………………………………Does it mean that he was on friendly terms with his staff?…………………………………………………………………………Painting of harvest scenes, like those by Bruegel for instance, show both men and women in

the fields. Were women really working in the fields or were they confined to household tasks?

………………………………………………………………………….Were women less paid than men at the time? ………………………………………………………………………….Given that wages at Newton were relatively low compared to other estates, what coul

encourage the local labourforce to work there? Was Humphrey an exceptionnally good lord?

…………………………………………………………………………

Tompkins H. Matteson, Harvesting hops, 1863

• As one source explains, “the various stages involved in harvesting hops have been painted in meticulous detail. Buildings with chimneys typical of breweries can be seen in the background on the right, but the subject is merely the pretext to depict a highly sentimental rural scene.”