Medieval Kingdom · People
People of the Medieval Kingdom
History Who lived in a medieval town? Most people in the Middle Ages were farmers, but towns were full of bakers, masons, carpenters, merchants, monks and nuns, and children who helped with the work. Clothes were made of wool and linen, and bright dyes cost more.
Baker's daughter
Carrying fresh loaves
Children often worked in the family trade. A baker's family rose before dawn to light the oven, and children carried loaves to customers and to market. Bread was so important that its weight and price were set by law.
Where to find them: Bakery, Market hall, Windmill
Squire
A knight in training
A squire was a teenager training to become a knight. He looked after a knight's horse and armor, practiced with sword, shield and lance, and followed his knight to tournaments and to war.
Where to find them: Training yard, Tournament field, Knight statue
Child with a toy horse
Playing in the street
Medieval children played with balls, spinning tops, dolls, marbles and little toy knights and horses. Archaeologists have found toys made of wood, clay and even metal in the mud of old towns like London.
Where to find them: Peasant cottage, Village well, Orchard
Lady with a prayer book
Walking to church at dusk
Wealthy families owned books of hours: small, beautifully painted prayer books with prayers for each part of the day. They were often the first books children learned to read from. A lantern with a candle lit the way home after dark.
Where to find them: Scriptorium, Stone chapel, Manor house
Stonemason
Carrying a cut stone
Masons cut and laid the stones of castles, churches and bridges. Master masons also designed buildings, much like architects today. Many masons cut their own small mark into the stones they shaped.
Where to find them: Building materials, Treadwheel crane, Abbey
Carpenter
Carrying oak beams
Carpenters built the timber frames of houses and halls, roofs, floors, carts and the scaffolding builders stood on. They joined beams with wooden pegs instead of nails, using joints that could last for centuries.
Where to find them: Town house, Great hall, Building materials
Keep exploring
Back to the Medieval Kingdom map Take the tour: A medieval market town