Late Medieval England Farmers' Consumption Studies

Later Middle Ages is the gestating and starting period of English Modernization. Since peasants are the subjects of the traditional society and the main creators of productivity, their daily consumption basically embodies the level of their material and spiritual development in English society. The thesis attempts to investigate English peasants' costume, diets, dwellings, communications, entertainments as well as their transformations in later Middle Ages. The thesis also studies the relationship between those items and social development so as to understand deeply the cause of English social transition and its historical development from one perspective.Consumption is of key importance in human society, and it must be affected by many factors in social development. English agriculture made rapid progresses in later Middle Ages, peasants subjective rights were protected by social tradition and legal system, so peasants' wealth accumulated at large. The development of English society during this period provided the basis and direction for peasants' daily consumption.New changes happened in the diet of English peasants—the result of these changes was a diet that included much more protein than the early medieval diet, particularly in the form of meat. Moreover their food became various and their nutrition was improved. Food is not only the prerequisite for maintaining human existence and reproduction of labor force but also an important criterion of people's daily life. Moreover it reflects social progress and economic development.With the accumulation of peasants' wealth, a vast majority of peasants rebuilt their houses, transformed their arrangements in their houses, improved houses' structures and qualities, so their living status changed a lot in "the rebuilding of rural England". At the same time, English peasants' costume changed gradually. The costume was used not only for covering the body and sheltering from the cold but also for other functions. Former cheap costumes, which had been poor-color, loose, coarse and no ornaments, were replaced by comfortable, handsome and simple-styled ones. The new costumes showed peasants' affirmation of self-awareness and their pursuit of self-worth. The entertainments and holiday activities of English peasants during this period was another token of their living standard. Their entertainments were affluent in their spare time. Peasants held various kinds of activities on each important occasion. Each entertainment activity made peasants' boring lives colorful and provided vigor for village developments.Transport facilities such as roads, bridges and ports had been improved in late medieval England, especially the new changes in village roads. The improved facilities were convenient for the extension of peasants' social activities. Peasants became more active in seeking for political freedom. More and more peasants left their villages for making a living and for commercial dealings. With peasants' economic independence, their horizon was widened and their social communications opened up.From the studies above, we may see clearly that the daily consumption level of peasants in late medieval England was gradually improved. Daily consumption was a very important factor and step in social productive process. As the basic consumption mass, the peasants' enlarging consumption need was the internal drive of social productive development. The increasing consumption level also promoted their development. It is evident that peasants' consumption level is a key factor for the reproduction of material and labor force and an important token of social development and transition as well.