Year 10 - History
Life in towns in Norman England
British Depth Study: Norman England, c1066–c1100
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils study an aspect of British medieval history in depth. They learn about the social, economic, religious and political events that influenced the lives of those who lived in this period.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe features of town life and changes to towns under the Normans.
Key Notes
- There were around 100 towns in Norman England in 1086, but most had a few hundred inhabitants.
- The immediate impact of the Norman conquest was bad for towns, with houses demolished and trade disrupted.
- Over time, many towns grew as Norman lords spent money in towns and trade links developed with Normandy and Flanders.
- Unlike in some areas, Anglo-Saxons with skills in crafts and industries continued to do well under Norman rule.
- Immigration from Normandy and Jewish immigration were a feature of Norman town life.
Vocabulary To Learn
- trade: buying and selling products and services with the aim of making a profit
- immigration: the process of people coming from one country to another to live there
- guild: organisation set up by craftspeople to fix the price of goods, ensure quality and protect wages and working conditions
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Towns and cities have always been where the richest people in society live.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
There were around 100 towns in Norman England in 1086, but most had a few hundred inhabitants. The immediate impact of the Norman conquest was bad for towns, with houses demolished and trade disrupted.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'trade'
buying and selling products and services with the aim of making a profit.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: Towns and cities have always been where the richest people in society live. Correction: For most of English history, the richest people were landowners and lived in the manor house of their manorial estate.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Anglo-Saxon kingship Study Guide
- Battle of Hastings Study Guide
- Battle of Stamford Bridge Study Guide
- Changing laws in Norman England: Forest law Study Guide
- Continuity and change in Norman government Study Guide
- Daily life in Norman England Study Guide
- Domesday Book Study Guide
- Edward the Confessor, the Godwins and William of Normandy Study Guide
- Edward the Confessor's death and the claimants to the throne Study Guide
- Establishing control: motte-and-bailey castles Study Guide
- Establishing control: new earls and earldoms Study Guide
- Justice and the legal system in Norman England Study Guide
- Key figures in the government of Norman England Study Guide
- Land and inheritance in Norman England Study Guide
- Lanfranc's reforms Study Guide
- Life in villages in Norman England Study Guide
- Norman reforms of English monasticism Study Guide
- Reasons for William's victory in 1066 Study Guide
- Revolts against William I, 1067-1075 Study Guide
- The Anglo-Saxon Church Study Guide
- The built environment of Norman England Study Guide
- The Harrying of the North, 1069-70 Study Guide
- The king and the Church in Norman England Study Guide
- The Norman Church Study Guide
- The Norman feudal system Study Guide
- The Reform Papacy Study Guide
- The submission of London in 1066 Study Guide
- William's consolidation of power Study Guide
- Work and diet in Norman England Study Guide
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