Women in the Medieval English Countryside

By Judith M. Bennett,

Book cover of Women in the Medieval English Countryside: Gender and Household in Brigstock before the Plague

Book description

In this book, Judith Bennett addresses the gap in our knowledge of medieval country women by examining how their lives differed from those of rural men. Drawing on her study of an English manor in the early-fourteenth century, she finds that rural women were severely restricted in their public roles…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Women in the Medieval English Countryside as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It’s a real frustration of mine that so much historical writing pays little or no attention to women, even though they made up half the population.

However ‘important’ whatever the men were doing was, they couldn’t have done it without women. There’s more written on elite medieval women—queens, noblewomen, abbesses, etc.—than there used to be, but peasant women remain mostly neglected.

I like Bennett’s book not only because she pays attention to village women but also because it doesn’t sugarcoat the story. Peasant women could do many things in medieval England, like owning property, going to court, and running businesses,…

From Justine's list on medieval peasants.

If you love Women in the Medieval English Countryside...

Ad

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Who Is a Worthy Mother? By Rebecca Wellington,

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places…

Want books like Women in the Medieval English Countryside?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Women in the Medieval English Countryside.

Browse books like Women in the Medieval English Countryside

Book cover of To Calais, in Ordinary Time
Book cover of Images of the Medieval Peasant
Book cover of Slavery After Rome, 500-1100

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,593

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Middle Ages, the Black Death, and Europe?

The Middle Ages 432 books
The Black Death 37 books
Europe 959 books