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Joshua Kent

Professor Tabuteau

HST 340

11/14/2022

Analysis of Bennett’s Medieval Life

In Medieval Life, Judith Bennett uses the manorial records of Brigstock between 1295 and 1344

to piece together a description of Cecilia Penifader’s life. Bennett uses the extensive records and

other texts cited throughout the book to infer what they do not outright describe. The purpose in

doing so is to illuminate the life of everyman in medieval England since there are fewer readily

available sources with a peasant background, and those who have one do not see fit to describe

their lives. I do not think using court documents to outline the life of a peasant would have been

possible if Cecilia Penifader and her family had not stayed in the same area their whole lives.

Bennett states that the documents can be used to put together Cecilia’s life on a topic-by-topic

basis covering every aspect of it. Before beginning a descriptive take on Cecilia’s life Bennett

explained the tripartite view of society in the Middle Ages. The first three chapters lay the

foundations of this tripartite philosophy and describe the “three orders” as they affected

Brigstock and Cecilia’s life. While the three orders philosophy does not make sense from a

modern perspective, it helped keep society organized and stable. These chapters lay the

foundation and tone for the rest of the book, giving some of the background info necessary to

delve into the other topics. The book is primarily descriptive rather than narrative; it is trying to

tell the story not in a chronological or literary way, but through topics and facts describing a

peasant's life. The first chapter after the introduction is about the area of Brigstock, the Penifader

family, and how land ownership works in their area. The second chapter is about status; the
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differences between gentry and peasants, as well as the difference between free-peasant, serf and

“privileged villeins.” The third chapter laid the final foundation before digging deeper into the

events of Cecilia’s life, it goes over the religious ties of the area and the peasants.

The Penifader household was a quite well-off peasant family, they owned quite a bit of land, as

well as being able to support eight children. Most peasant families were only able to care for two

or three children according to Bennett. Bennett’s inferences and arguments make a lot of sense

through the second chapter. She uses the birth records, fertility, and nursing times to infer that

the loss of labor did not affect the Penifader household as much as it may have other families.

The root of this argument is that the family was on the affluent side despite their status as

peasants. The logical conclusions that she makes are sound and backed up with evidence as

Bennett supplies the background knowledge of the Penifader household that is needed to better

understand Cecilia’s life.

Works Cited

Bennett, Judith. A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock, C. 1295-1344. McGraw-Hill

Humanities Social, 1999.