All people over the age of 12 in Yalding are members of a tithing
group. The head of
the tithing group is called a tithingman. It is his responsibility
to make sure all
the members of the tithing group attend the Manor
Court. If a
person runs away after committing a crime, the remaining members of
the tithing group
can be punished for the offence.
People often work the
fields in their tithing groups. This is especially important when
the fields need ploughing. Most plough-teams
consist of four oxen
or four horses. As it is unusual for peasants to own more than one
or two of these animals, it is necessary for them to combine their
resources so that their land can be ploughed efficiently. The tithing
groups also work together during harvesting.
With good weather and reasonable
soil, an acre of land in the 14th century would probably produce over
40 sheaves of corn per year. It has been estimated that 80 sheaves
of corn was needed to feed each person each year. If it was a bad
harvest or if the family did not
have enough land to produce the necessary food, members of the family
had to spend time working for someone else. The average pay for harvesting
in 1340 was either one pence or one sheaf of corn per day.
If a family produced more
food than they needed, they could sell the surplus to other members
of the village. Villagers could use this money to help increase their
food production in the future.
For example, they could rent more land or buy extra animals and farming
equipment.
The size of a family was
an important factor in the peasant economy. When the children were
very young, they consumed more than they produced. They also needed
looking after. If a member of the family was looking after very young
children, they would find it difficult to work in the fields. The
situation improved when the children were old enough to work. They
now produced more than they consumed. However, if there was a poor
harvest or there was no demand for extra labour, a large family was
a liability.
1. Fill in Section
7 of your Family
Information Chart.
2. (a) Decide on your ploughing
teams. (b) Decide on how you are going to organise your
harvesting teams. Write down the results of the discussion in your
books.
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