Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1975

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Abstract

Historical reconstructions of medieval England are generally deficient in that they tend either to overlook the peasantry entirely, in spite of the fact that it comprised 90% of the population, or they offer only cursory, often inaccurate, accounts of peasant life. Both deficiencies result from the inadequacies of the documentary evidence, yet historians have consistently eschewed available physical evidence which could greatly increase our understanding of the period. Physical evidence, primarily from archaeological sites, is presented to demonstrate how such material can supplement and amend what historians know about medieval English society. The specific questions of the thirteenth century peasant's housing, diet, social and economic isolation, and standard of living are examined in terms of both documentary and physical evidence, to prove that an inter-disciplinary approach can help to resolve conflicting historical interpretations, confirm or refute popular historical reconstructions, and expand our knowledge of medieval England.

Extent

123 p.

Comments

Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1975.|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1975.

Identifier

FADT13713

Format

pdf

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