Life in a Medieval Village (Medieval Life) Paperback – Illustrated, July 12, 2016

I thought I knew all their was to know about medieval peasants, but had barely scratched the surface. Make no mistake, the Gieses are clear that life was nasty, brutish and full of toil for peasants in the middle ages, but there was quite a bit more to their lives than grinding out a living. Villages were complex systems with carefully maintained responsibilities and officer selected both from above and within. Anyone who thinks that medieval peasants were mindless serfs who did their lord's bidding while Robin Hood-type figures scampered freely through the forest is in for a surprise. A medieval village more closely resembled a modern office than a sloshing pool of ignorant labor. Every job, relationship, piece of property and just about every aspect of life were all accounted for in a system of rights, identities and obligations. The authors do a wonderful job of leveraging the source material, focusing on the town of Elton, its history and inhabitants. Some of its long lists of fines and fees might become a bit tedious for the average reader, though I found this fascinating. Antiquated terms like "woolsilver" (money paid for sheep shearing) and "leirwite" (a fine for fornication!) always peak my interest. Reading the proceedings of the Lord's court, you'll get a much better sense of where his responsibilities began and ended, and what rights he had relative to everyone else. You'll also learn why, if you were a woman in the thirteenth century, you had little chance of being burned as a witch, but were quite likely to be hauled into court for brewing lousy beer. A detailed, but still readable, visit to medieval England, which was more diverse and complicated than I ever imagined.

The most amazing thing about this book is that the authors have turned a huge database of concrete facts into a readable, absorbing saga that makes the village of Elton seem almost alive these many centuries later. I wouldn't have predicted that extended discussions of farming techniques, stewards' responsibilities, or manorial court cases would interest me, but I was wrong. The Gieses weave all sorts of tidbits about actual people in with the other data, creating an easy-to-visualize picture of a time and place long gone. The book includes understandable explanations for archaic concepts, plus frequent doses of dry humor. I enjoyed every page of Life in a Medieval Village.

i adore these sorts of books. I’ve read all three ( Castle, Village, Town). This is more readable than the castle one. Great if you are studying medieval history and want to get a “feel” for the social makeup of a place. There is an enormous amount of research in these books. You want to keep these ones as reference, as you just know you will want the information again. I enjoyed this, and I know it does not sound like a book you would “enjoy” as it seems to be a textbook. But I did.

If you're interested in learning more about day-to-day life in the Middle Ages, this is the book for you. It's written in an engaging manner and provides tons of well-researched details. This is a great book for history buffs, but also for anyone interested in world-building, be it for a novel or for a role playing game, like D&D. If you enjoy the non-plot-related details in Game of Thrones, you will like this book.

Don't expect an "easy read" from this book. Not that it's a bad thing. The subject matter is outlined in painstaking detail, to the point that one will be repeatedly consulting the glossary, and thank goodness for it. Written by historians and anthropologists, this book is a wonderful account of what life must have been like for those who think they they were born in the wrong century.

"Life in a Medieval Village" offers a tour through basic areas of academic interest relating to English medieval village life, particularly in the 1200s, including but by no means limited to farming methods, the manorial justice system, and the physical structure of houses. As a point of reference, it primarily focuses on one particular village--one that today is all but completely vanished, as is sadly the case with so much from the middle ages. Throughout the text, the authors offer aexamples translated from various types of records of the era, too, to illustrate their points. These add another dimension--a human dimension--to the broader historical details being offered. I learned new things reading this book. For instance, that there was often a single communal bakery in a village for the baking of bread. It is not an exuberant popular history, but there is a charm about this book and the authors' style. The authors clearly love learning about the middle ages and desire others to share in their enjoyment. That generosity of spirit and intent seeps through to the reader.

This book offers great insight on what life was like in the UK circa 1300. New research has offered slightly varying interpretations from the original text, but overall, this is a great primer on how the average village resident lived.

I love reading about life in England during all time periods since many of my ancestors lived there. If you are of English ancestry and enjoy studying history, this book is for you.

Light but comprehensive Social History on villages in the Middle Age.More focused on the top level: how various entities, social classes etc relate to one another than Domestic History of every day life of its inhabitant.The different chapters include how land was distributed, the role of the Lord, how houses were build, how marriages were made, the working roles across classes, the role of the church and parish and how justice was enforced at various levels.

Beautifully written explanation of village life in 13th century Elton, Huntingdonshire. It brought the village to life for me. Thorough and with lots of interesting references to customs in other places and other times in medieval England. Probably the best account of medieval village life that I have read and the most enjoyable.

A useful introduction to the subject but I was often confused as to whether the author was writing about the village that he was basing his book on or the subject generally.

Very interesting and informative for someone studying the subject for the first time.

Pleased with book, no problems with delivery.