They grew crops and raised animals for food. Men and women shared in this essential task, yet most villagers did not own the land on which they worked. It belonged to the king, or to great lords. They let villagers farm small amounts, in return for working on their own estates. In the 14th century, Europe, Asia and the Middle East were devastated by bubonic plague.
Victims die swiftly and suddenly.
About one-third of the people in England died between 1348 and 1351. Many more perished in later outbreaks. Almost everyone knew somebody who had died. Medieval doctors did not understand how plague spread or how to cure it. To those people who had not caught it there was the fear that they might be next.