Women´s Work

Married women had a lot of children, but about half of them died young. Not even the rich were spared the pain and sadness of bearing children who lived only a year or two. Often the mothers themselves died in childbirth.

Rich ladies had servants to do the housework and look after the children. The ladies gave orders to the servants and kept the accounts. They had time to talk, read, and write letters. Most of them did some weaving or embroidery.

Craftsmen's wives had serving girls to help run the house. But they had to cook and see to the children themselves. They also served in the shop, and made sure the apprentices kept out of mischief. They had no time to spare.

Peasant women had the hardest life of all. They had to cook, clean, care for the children, and help their husbands in the fields. On top of that, they would spin yarn and make cheese to sell in the market. Most of the time they must have been cold, wet, hungry, and tired. Not many lived much beyond the age of thirty.

Walter Robson: Medieval Britain; Oxford University Press, 1991/2000, page 89