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1.1.TheHouseholdStructure
Everyhouseholdneededgoodmanagementinthepersonofthesteward,whoto-
getherwithhisdeputiestookgoodcareofthehouseholdfinances,suppliesandits
smoothrunning.5Lordsandladiesneededtrustedservantstoperformvariousduties
intheirchambers,totakecareoftheirfinancesandcorrespondence,orsimplyto
providecompanionship.Theseservantswerefrequentlyeducatedmen,carefullyse-
lectedandfullytrusted.Aswillbeshownlaterinthisbook,servantswerefrequently
entrustedwithmoniesandhadtokeepaccounts.Belowthemwereofficersincharge
oftheseparatedivisionsandsubdivisionsofthehousehold,thedepartmentsandof-
ficeswhichwillbediscussedindetailinsubsequentchapters.Butthehouseholdalso
employedaplentifulnumberofmenialservantswhoperformedthedutiesnecessary
forthepreparationofvariousservicesfortheirmaster,hisfamilyandguests.They
weremanualworkersperforminglesscomplicatedjobsinthehall,inthekitchen,in
thebrewinghouse,intheboilinghouseandthemanyotherhouseholddepartments
thatweresometimesfigurativelycalledthehousehold‘belowstairs'.Thesepeople
actedascook'sassistants,sewers,cleaners,spreadersofrushes,washersofdishes,
etc.Thus,ananalysisofEnglishsocietyinthelateMiddleAgesandearlymodern
periodisnecessarytobetterunderstandthehousehold'sorganisationandseewho
werethepeopleresponsibleforitsefficientfunctioning.
1.2.EnglishSocietyintheLateMedievaland
EarlyModernPeriods
Englishsocietyinthefifteenthandsixteenthcenturieswasstillafeudalsociety.It
hadhoweverundergonesignificantchangeswhichhadbeeninitiatedinthethirteenth
andfourteenthcenturiesandcontinuedintotheearlyTudorerainthesixteenth
century.Oneofthemostimportantofthesechangeswasthebreak-upofthefeudal
manor.Thelord'sdemesnesystemofcultivationbyservilelabourwasbeingchanged
throughfarmleasesandmoneywages,thus“beginningthegradualtransformationof
theEnglishvillagefromacommunityofsemi-bondsmentoanindividualistsociety...
inwhichcashnexushadreplacedcustomaryrights.”6AsTrevelyanputit,thisgreat
changeliberatedmobileforcesof“capital,labour,andpersonalenterprise,”which
“openedoutnewpossibilitiestotradeandmanufactureaswellas[in]agriculture.”7
5
OnhouseholdorganisationseeChapterIII.
6
G.M.Trevelyan,EnglishSocialHistory(Harmondsworth,1967),p.18.
7
Ibid.
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