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 Each
peasant house at had a small yard surrounding it called a toft and a croft
which served as a small garden to supply the family with root crops, legumes
and, perhaps, grain. The basic peasant house in the 13th century was about
15 feet wide and might be twice the length, houses of the 14th century were
about 20 feet wide and 80 feet in length.
This
latter type, the long house had an attached byre (barn) which might have
housed farm animals or could have been used for storage. The central room
was long and open with no partitions. There would have been an open fire pit
with a smokehole in the roof above.
At
the end, farthest from the byre, there frequently was a separate half height
room used, probably, for sleeping. Peasant houses had low foundations of
chalk blocks, the crucks rested on large padstones built into the
foundations. Between the crucks, the walls were generally wattle and daub,
daub was a mizture of mud and straw.
Another
possible wall covering was called "cob" which was 3 parts chalk and 1 part
clay mixed with straw. The wall was a frame with small vertical posts woven
with smaller, flexible sticks to form a base for the daub. This woven frame
is the wattle. The daub was then plastered on the wattle, inside and out.
Technology
Lighting
Agricultural
Construction
Timber-Framed Houses
Peasant Houses
Cannon Candles Torches Rush lights Oil Lamps
White Lead Golf Ball
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