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In the towns, people would get up at daybreak. Just in case they were the sleepy type, a bell would be rung. After this the town gates would be opened and the day's business would begin. At the end of the day, the curfew bell would sound and people would remain indoors, put out any fires, put a bar across their doors and go to bed. Peasants would also work from dawn till dusk often out in the fields around the village but some were carpenters, blacksmiths or weavers. There was a book, written at this time, which said that a ploughman should not be miserable but should sing as he walked behind his oxen in order to encourage them. Peasants would have to bring their oxen to the manor in spring to help the lord plough his fields and there was a law that they should also provide the lord with a hen at Christmas time and yet, when a peasant, a male peasant, died, the lord could take all his goods if he wanted. Children and women worked just as hard as the men. Girls helped to cook and bake and look after younger children, animals and wash clothes. Boys would be out in the fields with their father. Some villages had schools run by the local priest who would teach religion and reading.
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