The life of a serf was hard and tiresome. Serf's had to work long and hard for their knights who protected them. At least 2 or 3 days a week, the serf works for the lord and the rest except for Saturday (Lord's Day) they would work for their families. Since there was no source of money back then, serf's payed taxes with produce, animals, or anything that they could own. Also when serf's want to grind their food for wheat, they were obliged to use the lord's mill and had to pay taxes in order to use it. The clothing of a serf were old and dirty. Some examples could be...
- A blouse of clothing or skin fastened by a leather belt round the waist
- An overcoat or mantle of thick woolen material, which fell from his shoulders to half way down his legs
- Shoes or long boots
- Short woolen trousers
- From his belt there hung a sheath for his knife
- Medieval serfs usually went bareheaded, but in cool weather or they wore a wool hat
- Gloves were only worn for their practical clothing value
A peasant from the medieval period
Pic URL: https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEIPvw9XK2zzAlyfaWqnDxDDAFCsaubG8WCGKn9KEI3Ay2EQqZPQ
A serf would work hours a day working in the fields, or indoors. Women usually prepared meals, cleaned the house, and watched over the children while men would work out in the fields, and do most of the strenuous jobs. At night when it's time to sleep, they slept under their straw roofed huts. The huts are small, straw roofed houses that serfs live in. Occasionally under the cool nights of Winter, the family would bring in the animals in order to "warm up" the house because there would be more bodies to heat up the room. There would be a fireplace called a hearth in the center in order to cook meat and vegetables. The hut is usually damp and disease could run out of control. This is called an epidemic. They would affect many of the old and the new as well. many people died of these diseases.
A indoor and out picture of a medieval Serf or peasant home. Picture URL: http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/~vms/carlton/Medieval/hut.jpg
Some things that serf's would eat could be potatoes, tomatoes, and other various vegetables they could grow in the fields. They could also slaughter their animals to produce meat for protein. If they have left over grains, they could head on over to the Lord's Mill to grind their grains into wheat and rye . Serf's had short and difficult life's during the medieval period.
Some of the foods that serf's could have ate back in the day Picture URL: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTUZX-GFnv1NKOonRKMDCgZFQ1PJQcgrcTwWvvfX3cBwHKN8rqH
