Medieval Life: Countryside vs Towns
Life in medieval times was basically a gamble with nature and disease. Peasants lived or died based on harvest quality - a good crop meant health and comfort, whilst a bad one could literally starve entire villages. The Great Famine of 1315-1316 wiped out a tenth of the population, showing just how precarious life was.
Rural folk had it slightly better than townspeople when it came to water. They relied on streams and springs for drinking water, though fullers (cloth makers) often polluted these sources. Most peasants lived in simple houses with walls made of woven sticks covered in mud, complete with a midden heap in each garden - basically a rubbish pile containing household, animal, and human waste.
Towns were bustling but filthy places. Markets formed the heart of town life, but without refrigeration, livestock was walked to market (making roads muddy) and animals were slaughtered on-site. Rotten food was simply thrown into the streets, creating perfect conditions for disease to spread.
Quick Fact: Some lucky towns had conduits - water channels originally built by wealthy churches that could afford to lay pipes for fresh water.
