![]() The floors were of hard, compacted earth sometimes covered in straw for warmth. Although this draught would have lowered the overall temperature of the house, it would have provided much-needed ventilation to combat the high concentration of smoke from the fire, and the smells of both animals and people living in close quarters. ![]() Instead, wooden shutters were used, closed at night or during winter, and would have made the houses quite draughty. There were no panes of glass in the windows. The roof was usually made out of straw, reeds and other dried vegetation, commonly referred to as a thatched roof. The colour of the local soil gave the plaster vibrant white, yellow or red colour, depending on the minerals present. The walls of the frame were panelled with wattle and daub and plastered with quick lime and earth, a process also referred to as whitewashing. Villager homes (also known as cruck houses) were simple structures based on a wooden frame. Please note that by Villager we mean any serf, including villeins, bordars and cottagers, and exclude any Freeman who was farming land. Hard work and continuous effort – required to ensure the necessities of life – characterised most aspects of their existence. During the middle ages (medieval times) the lives of villagers (serfs) were far from easy.
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