Life in a Medieval Manor: "A Peasant Family in Pye's Kilpeck"

      At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, much of England was wilderness. Although about two million people lived in England, they were almost always found in small clusters of population along waterways. Such clusters facilitated trade but also provided protection from wild animals and bands of marauders. One such cluster was found on the Welch border in far Western England. The region, part of Hereford, was called Kilpeck. This area, along with extensive holdings in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire was a land grant to Norman Fitz William Fitz Walter, le Sieur de la Mare (Lord of the Sea ) during the Norman Conquest in 1066.. His great grandson, John ap Hugh, became the Lord of Kilpeck. (In the Welch dialect "ap" means "son of".) John ap Hugh, which evolved into John Pye, was among the first to carry the Pye name.
       Imagine standing on the mountains overlooking Kilpeck Valley. Twin mountain peaks dominate the skyline. Since they are connected by a curved ridge reminiscent of a saddle they are called Saddlebow. As dawn approaches the valley slowly materializes. Out of the darkness emerge forests, rich with game, and rolling hills, ideal for the pasturing of sheep. In the valley the winding Wye River appears. This river has its source in the high hills of western Wales, then meanders for 60 miles before crossing into England at Clifford. About twenty miles further downriver, it passes Hereford, turns south and passes through Saddlebow. Further on it forms the southern border between Wales and England with its mouth at the Bristol channel.
     In the valley, the light slowly reveals one building after another. The first to appear is Kilpeck Castle, which dominates a bluff.. Soon, some distance away, Mynde Hall emerges, also on a hilltop. These two structures, which represent the secular leadership of the Kilpeck area, were both built by William Fitz Norman. The Castle serves as a seat for the military in this part of England. It is a small castle but still provides protection from strong clans which still roamed Wales. Mynde Hall is a beautiful building, surrounded by huge Beech trees, a variety of bushes and many flowers, periwinkle, primrose, and rich pennyroyal. The Hall has forty two rooms, including nineteen bedrooms. The main hall is large enough to host several hundred people at one sitting, and serves as the living quarters for Lord Pye and his huge staff.      As the light over Saddlebow intensifies other large buildings appear in the lowlands of the valley. Muchdew Church which represents the religious domain was built in the period right after the Norman Conquest, from 1066 to 1150. It serves as the religious focus for the region is adorned with images ranging from lewd and graphic to doom and death. The "Last Judgments" carved in stone on the facade of the church depict the sufferings of the damned and the joys of the faithful. Muchdew Church is considered one the finest examples of Norman architecture. Peasants attend this church for most of their religious affairs. In the full light of day, the lesser buildings of the valley become evident: the Alehouse, the Inn, the two mills and many warehouses, barns, boathouses, stables, and other buildings associated with the Mynde. As well the many minor structures take shape. These include granaries, sheepsheds, dove coots, pigsties, cowbarns, and many other buildings. Most of these are humble cottages each a little different and each no more than two rooms.
     The essence of peasant life is the rhythms of the season, because for those who till the earth, life in the fields is required for food. Except for Sunday masses and feast days, their life ground on from one plot of land to the next. This story recounts a year in the life of Roan and Matild, and their three children, a Kilpeck peasant family of the Saddlebow valley during a typical year about 1200 AD, . While they are fictitious their story is much like the thousands of other peasant families throughout England and in fact throughout much of Europe.