Re: English Peasants 1200-1350

On Aug 30, 4:01 pm, paul bulkley <designecono...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
 
Reference my comment regarding Mark Bailey's "Medieval Suffolk 1200-1500", I note that my clumsy fingers probably wiped out one specific word which no doubt confused some readers.
I will repeat the last two paragraphs which now include the word "Poorer"
 
 
Households tended to be smaller in 13th Century Suffolk than in most areas
of England. Households of wealthier peasants contained about five people,
and perhaps a live in servant, and they often sought to acquire land on the
open market to provide for their sons with an independent livelihood. Poorer
families had about two children per household, no servants.

It is interesting to note how responsible people of relatively modest means
acted - their planning based on sound economics. It is unfortunate that
seven hundred years later, many do not possess such wisdom.
 
One senses that these individuals classified as Peasants were in fact equivalent to modern middle class, and it is very unfortunate that the term Peasant is used.
 
I am reminded of the brilliant genius of the people of the Middle East between the years 700 - 1400. Visit the remarkable Scientific Museum in Istanbul, and rapidly one realises that the Western World was miles behind in just about everything, and so much claimed to be a Western invention was simply ideas picked up from the Middle East many hundred years later. And yet in these so called modern times, the general attitude of the West is very condescending not understanding or wishing to understand the past genius of the Middle East, and probably making a great error in not recognising the potential skills of the descendents of these brilliant people.
 
Unfortunately a very materialistic and ignorant world values very little the brilliance of the human mind, and one sees the result of such ignorance with disaster after disaster throughout North America.
 
Sincerely Yours,
 
Paul Bulkley

I recall, from graduate seminars in cultural anthropology, that there
is actually a "technical" definition for "peasant". In an otherwise-
literate society containing at least some urban areas, "peasants" are
those who are illiterate &, therefore, uneducated. Hmmm. Come to think
of it....your comparison to the modern middle class may not be so far
afield....Bronwen
.