What Was Life Really Like for Women in Medieval Times

History Hit

10 May 202312:31

Summary

TLDRThis video script delves into the various roles medieval women played in the workforce, focusing on jobs like dairy maids, bakers, and brewers. It contrasts the dairy maid's clean work with the milkmaid's labor-intensive fieldwork, highlighting the better wages and conditions of the former. The script also covers the process of making butter and cheese at home, the risks and regulations in professional baking, and the brewing of ale, often managed by women. It underscores the economic significance of these jobs, the gender dynamics, and the potential dangers involved, painting a vivid picture of medieval women's contributions to society.

Takeaways

🏠 The script is from 'Halle Medved, or a Letter on Virginity', a medieval English document outlining the housework women were expected to do.
👩‍🌾 80% of medieval women belonged to the peasant class and had limited job opportunities, primarily centered around domestic duties.
🥛 Dairy Maid was a prestigious job for medieval women, involving cleaning, milking cows, and producing dairy products like butter and cheese.
📊 The Statute of Cambridge in 1388 recorded that dairy maids earned six shillings per year, four shillings less than men but still a notable income.
🍞 Cottage cheese production was a common cottage industry where women could make money, using simple ingredients like milk, salt, and vinegar.
🧀 Cheese mongering was a business role often filled by women, who sold cheese at markets and managed the entire process from production to sales.
🍞 Professional baking was another skilled job for women, with some providing a baking service for others who brought their dough to be baked.
🏭 Baker's guilds were established to regulate the baking industry, ensuring the quality and pricing of bread, with severe punishments for those who cheated.
🔥 Managing a bread oven was a risky business due to the perpetual risk of fire, as seen in incidents like the Great Fire of London starting at a baker's shop.
🍻 Brewing was a female-dominated profession, with alewives running ale houses and breweries, and brewing being a potentially lucrative business.
⚠️ Brewing was dangerous work, with records showing accidents like the scalding death of a Brewing Maid, highlighting the risks involved in medieval professions.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the transcript?
-The main topic of the transcript is the various jobs medieval women performed, particularly focusing on domestic and cottage industry roles such as dairy maids, bakers, and brewers.
What is the significance of the Halle Medved passage mentioned in the transcript?
-The Halle Medved passage signifies the list of housework that medieval women were expected to do, highlighting the domestic responsibilities they had upon returning from their jobs.
What percentage of medieval women belonged to the peasant class?
-Eighty percent of medieval women belonged to the peasant class.
What is the difference between a Dairy Maid and a Milkmaid according to the transcript?
-A Dairy Maid works indoors with clean white linens and natural fats, handling cream and milk, and is associated with better wages and a better reputation compared to a Milkmaid, who works outdoors milking cows and is often surrounded by men.
What was the average wage for women laborers and dairy maids in England in 1388?
-The average wage for women laborers and dairy maids in England in 1388 was six shillings per year.
What is the process of making butter by hand as described in the transcript?
-The process involves agitating the cream until it becomes thick and then separating the buttermilk from the butter.
What is a cottage cheese industry mentioned in the transcript?
-A cottage cheese industry refers to the practice of making cheese at home, often using homemade vinegar or crab apples to curdle the milk, and then pressing the curds to make cheese for sale.
What role did women play in the baking industry during the Middle Ages?
-Women in the baking industry either made whole loaves from scratch or provided a baking service in special bread ovens, and were involved in the regulation of the bread's price and weight.
What was the consequence for bakers who tried to cheat the system during the Middle Ages?
-Bakers who cheated the system, such as Alistair Brightnock and Lucy de Pickering, could face severe punishment including imprisonment and public outcry.
Why was brewing often a female profession during the Middle Ages?
-Brewing was often a female profession because most women made their own ale at home, and in the professional world, ale houses and breweries were often run by women known as alewives.
What are some of the dangers involved in the brewing process as described in the transcript?
-Some dangers involved in the brewing process included handling large quantities of boiling water and heavy equipment, which could lead to severe accidents and injuries.

Outlines

00:00

🧈 Medieval Dairy Work

The script discusses the medieval English document 'Halle Medved', which outlines the domestic duties of women. It then focuses on the role of a Dairy Maid, contrasting it with a milkmaid's more laborious and less reputable job. Dairy Maids were responsible for cleaning and processing milk, making butter and cheese, and were paid a decent wage for the time. The process of making butter by hand is described, along with the benefits of having a daughter skilled in dairy work for a peasant household. Additionally, the script touches on cottage cheese production as a way for women to earn money.

05:00

🍞 Baking and Brewing in the Middle Ages

This section of the script delves into the professions of baking and brewing, which were often managed by women. It describes the process of turning cheese curds into sellable cheese, emphasizing the continuous nature of dairy work. The importance of baking bread and its regulation by Baker's guilds is highlighted, along with the severe consequences for those who cheated the system, as illustrated by the story of Alistair Brightnock and Lucy de Pickering. The script also covers the practice of managing a bread oven and the associated risks, like the Great Fire of London. Brewing, another female-dominated profession, is discussed, including the dangers involved in the process and the regulations that governed it.

10:01

🥘 Brewing Ale and its Risks

The final paragraph of the script focuses on the brewing of ale, primarily a female occupation in the Middle Ages. It describes the process of making ale, including boiling the wort, adding flavorings, cooling, and fermenting. The script also recounts a tragic accident involving lady Juliana de Beauchamp's Brewing Maids, emphasizing the hazardous nature of the work. The summary concludes with the steps of fermenting the ale and the waiting period required for it to be ready for consumption.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Medieval

The term 'Medieval' refers to the Middle Ages, a period in European history that lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It was characterized by feudalism, chivalry, and the dominance of the Catholic Church. In the video, the term is used to set the historical context for the types of jobs women were involved in, such as dairy maids and alewives, illustrating the gendered division of labor and the economic activities of the time.

💡Dairy Maid

A 'Dairy Maid' was a woman who worked in the dairy industry, typically responsible for tasks such as milking cows, making butter, and producing cheese. The script highlights the dairy maid's role as a more desirable job compared to a milkmaid, due to the cleaner work environment and better reputation. It also mentions the wages dairy maids received, indicating their economic contribution.

💡Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is a type of cheese that is made from the curds of cow's milk. In the video, it is mentioned as a cottage industry where women could make a profit by producing and selling it. The script describes the process of making cottage cheese, emphasizing the entrepreneurial aspect of medieval women's work.

💡Baker's Guild

A 'Baker's Guild' was an association of bakers that controlled the baking trade, ensuring the quality and pricing of bread. The script discusses how these guilds regulated the baking industry and the severe consequences for those who cheated the system, like the bakers caught stealing dough, which underscores the importance of trust and quality in medieval commerce.

💡Brewing

Brewing refers to the process of making beer, which was a common activity for women in medieval times. The video mentions that brewing was a female-dominated profession and that alewives, women who ran breweries or sold ale, were often wealthy. It also touches on the dangers of the job, such as the risk of accidents involving boiling water and heavy equipment.

💡Alewives

An 'Alewife' was a woman who brewed and sold ale, a type of beer. The script points out that alewives were often business owners and could be quite prosperous, indicating the economic independence and business acumen of medieval women in this trade.

💡Curfew

A 'Curfew' originally referred to the practice of extinguishing fires at night to prevent house fires, especially in homes made of thatch. The video uses the term to describe the end-of-day practice of covering the fire to prevent sparks, which was crucial in densely populated medieval towns where houses were close together.

💡Peasant Class

The 'Peasant Class' was the largest social class in medieval society, consisting of farmers and laborers. The video script mentions that 80% of medieval women would have belonged to this class, emphasizing the economic and social context in which most women worked and lived.

💡Virginity

The script references 'virginity' in the context of a medieval document that lists household chores expected of women. This term is significant as it reflects the societal expectations and moral standards placed on women during the Middle Ages, linking their value to their chastity.

💡Experimental Archaeologist

An 'Experimental Archaeologist' is a specialist who recreates historical activities to understand past lifeways. In the video, Caroline Nicolet, an experimental archaeologist, guides the host through medieval tasks, providing an immersive learning experience and demonstrating the practical skills of the period.

💡Hearth

A 'Hearth' is the floor of a fireplace or the fireplace itself, where cooking was done in medieval homes. The script uses the phrase 'her loaf burning on the Hearth' to illustrate the domestic responsibilities of medieval women and the constant vigilance required to manage the fire for cooking.

Highlights

The medieval English document 'Halle Medved' lists housework expected of women.

80% of medieval women belonged to the peasant class.

Dairy Maid was a prestigious job for medieval women, involving working with cream and milk.

Dairy Maids earned six shillings per year, four less than men but still a wage.

Milkmaids milked cows early in the morning before breakfast.

Making butter by hand was a simple process even for novices.

Cottage cheese was a cash cottage industry for medieval women.

Cheese mongering was a common profession for women merchants.

Baking was a skilled profession, with women either making bread from scratch or providing a baking service.

Baker's guilds were introduced to protect the interests of bakers and regulate the price and weight of bread.

Bakers who tried to cheat the system could face severe punishment.

Brewing was frequently a female profession, with alewives running ale houses and breweries.

Brewing was a lucrative industry, even involving members of the nobility.

Brewing involved dangerous work with large quantities of boiling water and heavy equipment.

The Great Fire of London began with a blaze starting at a Baker's.

Ale was made by boiling grains, adding flavorings, and fermenting with yeast.

Hops were not commonly used in late medieval England and were considered a foreign practice.