“The majority of people in medieval society were farmers, who worked from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, just to survive. But within this farming community, there was a wide range of jobs and occupations, including blacksmiths, carpenters, millers, bakers, and brewers.
Each person had a specific role to play in the community, and their work was essential to the survival and prosperity of the village as a whole.”
Barbara Hanawalt, a medieval historian and author of “The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England”:
Farmers were responsible for cultivating the land and producing food for the village. They would typically grow a variety of crops, including wheat, barley, and vegetables, as well as raise livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens.
Shepherds were responsible for tending to the village’s flocks of sheep, which provided wool for clothing and meat for food. They would lead the sheep to grazing areas, protect them from predators, and shear their wool.
Blacksmiths were skilled metalworkers who created a variety of products, including tools, weapons, and household items. They would work with iron, steel, and other metals, using a variety of techniques such as forging, tempering, and welding.
Carpenters were responsible for constructing and repairing buildings, furniture, and other wooden items in the village. They would use hand tools and simple machines to cut, shape, and join wood.
Millers were responsible for grinding grain into flour, which was a staple food in the village. They would operate water or wind-powered mills, grinding the grain into flour for baking bread and other foods.
Tanners were responsible for transforming animal hides into leather, which was used for clothing, footwear, and other items in the village. They would use a combination of soaking, scraping, and stretching to remove hair and prepare the hides for tanning.
Bakers were responsible for baking bread and other baked goods for the village. They would use ovens or bakehouses to cook the bread, which was a staple food in medieval times.
Weavers were responsible for creating textiles, including cloth for clothing and bedding. They would use looms to weave fibers such as wool, linen, and silk into fabric.
Potters were responsible for creating pottery and other ceramic items, such as bowls, cups, and plates. They would use a pottery wheel to shape the clay, and then fire it in a kiln to harden it.
These were just some of the jobs that existed in a medieval village. Each played an important role in the survival and prosperity of the village, and together they created a self-sufficient and interdependent community.
