Working Population in the Middle Ages -

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The following table lists the working population in the Middle Ages. The information is taken from Table 20 of A C Chibnall‘s book “Sherington: Fiefs and Fields of a Buckinghamshire Village”.

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c.1345		c.1400		c.1460		c.1520
Labourer or Peasant	Smallholder, Tenant Farmer or Tradesman	Labourer or Peasant	Smallholder, Tenant Farmer or Tradesman	Labourer or Peasant	Smallholder, Tenant Farmer or Tradesman	Labourer or Peasant	Smallholder, Tenant Farmer or Tradesman
Adam	Brittain	Bozard	Barker	Chandler	Banister	Beamond	Adyngton
Bouchmaler	Brut	Chandler	Brittain	Clerk	Barker	Bocher	Bocher
Bozard	Carpenter	Gille	Britte	Key	Brittain	Elyott	Brittain
Chandler	Carter	Key	Carter	Millward	Britte	Glaunder	Chibnall
Copshot	Clerk	Shore	Clerk	Shore	Carter	Grenewich	Course (2)
Dayrel	Courage	Smart	Colyns		Colyns	Hed	Elyott (2)
Gille	Course		Clyfford		Course	Henley	Field
Key (Gegh)	Coyte		Course		Coyte	Key	Fisher (2)
Shore	Elliot		Coyte		Dedipas	Millward (Millard)	Grendon (2)
	Fisher		Elliot		Elliot	Overend	Overend
	Frere		Fisher		Everard	Smith	Paynter
	Gerveys		Frere		Fisher	Williamson	Pell
	Gunnild		Herman		Frere		Sampson
	Herman		Heries		Grenewiche		Sheriff
	Heyne		Heyne		Heries		Shortred
	Huet		Huet		Herman		Smith (2)
	Jones		Kinball		Hooton		Taylor
	Jory		Mason		Huet
	Kenet		Mathew		Mathew
	Kynbell		Mulsoe		Mulsoe
	Long		Sampson		Sampson
	Mason		Shepeherde		Shepeherde
	Mathew		Smith		Smith
	Palmer		Stachedone		Taylor
	Rafenyld		Stouton		Underwood
	Richer		Taylor
	Savage
	Shepeherde
	Smith
	Stachedone
	Stouton
	Taylor
	Troup

Estimated number of working families

c.1345	c.1400			c.1460			c.1520
Total	Old	New	Total	Old	New	Total	Old	New	Total
Cottagers and labourers	9	5	1	6	3	2	5	5	7	12
Smallholders, tenant farmers and tradesmen	34	20	6	26	15	9	25	13	8	22
TOTAL	43	25	7	32	18	11	30	18	15	34

Note: these figures are as given by Chibnall in Table 21 of his book – they do not appear to quite add up correctly

Data sources cited by Chibnall:

1345 – Lay subsidy return of 1332 and Throckmorton charters
1400 – Throckmorton charters, Close Rolls, various inquisitions and a list of tenants of the Grey de Wilton manor
1460 – Lnd deeds, Close Rolls, various inquisitions and a list of tenants of FitzJohn’s manor
1520 – Muster Survey 1522, subsidy of 1524-5 and Court Rolls of the Mercers’ Company