Pæda, 597AD
(aka Peter Green)Meet Pæda, the son of Bass
Bass and his family live in the small village of Clifwara (Cliffe) on the peninsula between the rivers Meduwæg (Medway) and Tamensis (Thames). Like most ceorls Bass has a small farm which he works for his hlaford. However, Bass is also a skilled fisherman and uses this skill to provide additional food for his family and his lord. Pæda works on the farm with his father, and also joins him when he goes fishing, learning the skills he will one day need when he takes over the family farm.
The Ceorl
The ceorl was the freeman in Anglo-Saxon society. Although he was not one of the warrior nobles, all able-bodied freemen could be called upon to bear arms in defence of the tribe's homelands.
The ceorl at this time (c. 400- 700AD) would have been primarily a farmer. The Anglo-Saxon economy was based on food production and few villages or settlements would have supported specialist craftsmen. Most people had to be self sufficient in all requirements of everyday life. For this reason each person had to become a 'jack of all trades' although within each community individuals would tend towards the craft for which they showed natural apptitudes rather than being a specialist craftsman.
In addition to farming, many ceorls would have supplimented their diet by hunting wild animals and birds. He would also take part in activities such as maintaining the ditches and fences around the settlement, helping to build other houses and halls in the settlement, etc.
Although they usually farmed land for a nobleman, many ceorls were quite wealthy in their own rights, and usually paid their rent to their hlaford (lord, literally 'loaf-lord') in food. This payment was known as feorm (this is probably the origin of the word 'farm'). The status of the ceorl in Anglo-Saxon England seems to have been higher than his pre-migration Germanic counterpart. Many ceorls also owned slaves who would work on their farms.
Page created 30th July 1997
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