Life In Towns

Towns are built on trade, and the elite of towns are the merchants. Merchant guilds control town government, though they often clash with craft guilds for power. Merchants need stability for trade, so they support the king and the establishment of a strong central government against the rule of individual nobles. The king, for his part, encourages the growth of towns and trade.

Merchant Guilds
Guilds control the trade in a town. Merchant guilds regulate prices, quality, weights and measures, and business practices. The power of the guilds is absolute in their domain, and to be expelled from a guild makes it impossible to earn a living. Each guild has a patron saint, celebrates religious festivals together, puts on religious plays, and looks after the health and welfare of the members and their families.

Craft Guilds
Separate from the merchant guilds are the craft guilds, which regulate the quality, working hours and conditions of its members. There are three levels of craftsmen; masters, journeymen, and apprentices. Parents pay a fee to place a child with a master craftsman as an apprentice. There they receive food, lodging (often sleeping under the counter in the shop itself), clothes, and instruction in the craft. Apprentices, Journeymen, and Masters. The period of apprenticeship lasts for 2-7 years, after which time the apprentice becomes a journeyman. The term has nothing to do with traveling; is simply means that the journeyman is paid by the day for his work. After several years as a journeyman the craftsman will submit a piece of his best work to the guild for approval. If this "master-piece" is accepted he can become a master craftsman and own his own shop.

Streets
All repairs to streets are the responsibility of adjacent householders. Roads are narrow, and tradesmen and householders are constantly encroaching on them. Traffic moves slowly, not least because tolls at the town gates are often paid in kind (that is, with goods rather than money), causing delays and long lineups.

Cleanliness
Sanitation is a constant concern in towns. Open drain channels run along the sides or down the center of streets and many stables open out onto the streets, while muck heaps encroach on passage. People often throw dirty water out of windows in the general direction of the drains. Dyers vats are particularly noxious when they are emptied into the street. Again the onus was on the individual householder to keep the space in front of his house relatively clean. In practice the only real incentive to do so is an outbreak of the plague or a visit from the King.

Livestock In The Streets
Pigs are another nuisance in the streets. Most people keep pigs. They are cheap, and a good source of food. However, houses are small and gardens even smaller, so pigs are often let out into the streets to forage. Stray pigs are such a nuisance that they are liable to be killed and the owner charged for the return of the dead animal.

Law Enforcement
Law and order in the town is enforced by the beadle (a lord's constables), who can call on citizens to form a night Watch. If a "hue and cry" is raised to chase a criminal all citizens have to join in or risk being fined. The penalty for the criminal is much higher. A thief found in possession of stolen goods is subject to severe punishment.

Sanctuary
If a fugitive manages to reach a church they can claim the right of sanctuary there for a period of 10 days. This means that someone will have to stand watch outside the church for the entire time to ensure that the fugitive does not escape, a duty that no one wants. Towns can even be fined if the felon escapes. At any one time it is estimated that there are as many as 1000 people in sanctuary throughout the realm.

Fire
Fire is the constant fear of town dwellers. Due to closely packed wooden houses and inadequate water supply, fires are difficult to control and can produce widespread damage. There are other factors that increase the risks of fire; Beds are of straw and are commonly kept close to open hearths for warmth. Roofs of reeds, rushes and straw are common. Worse still is the threat of siege, during which an enemy army can and often does set fire to entire towns.

Siege
When a siege is mounted against a lord, it is not only his family who is threatened. Everyone in the town is at the mercy of the invading army. Usually, with enough warning, the townspeople are able to take sanctuary in a lord's castle. A lord is duty-bound to protect everyone, and this includes even the lowest serf. During a siege, the townspeople are given shelter in the bailey, and collect their food from the lord's kitchen. The longer a siege lasts, the threat of starvation climbs as the lord's larder is now feeding massive amounts of people.

Invasion
If a siege is successful, the army is granted the right to pillage the village by their lord. This is but one of the many reasons an army willingly goes to war for their liege. Unfortunately, there is no law in warfare and the townspeople are subjected to the whim of the army. This includes, but is not limited to, the death and/or rape of the locals. If the lord chooses to intervene on behalf of the townspeople he may, but this is done on rare occasion.

The Town Day & Market Hours
The day officially begins with the ringing of the church bell at 4 or 5 o,clock. It announces the first mass of the day and the end of the night watchman's duty. Most shops open at 6 AM, providing plenty of early morning shopping before the first meal of the day at 9 or 10 AM. Market Hours Morning is the active time for markets. Things quiet down after noon, and most shops are closed at 3 o'clock. Some keep open until light fades, and others, such as the barbers and blacksmiths, are open until the curfew bell sounds. Foreign merchants are heavily regulated. They have to wait two or more hours before they can enter the market, giving the locals the best of the business. Markets are noisy, raucous affairs. Merchants have to "cry the wares" as their only means of advertising, and some are fined for forcibly grabbing hold of passers-by in their enthusiasm to make a sale.

Bells & Criers
Bells are the main medium of telling time and making announcements. A Common Bell is rang to summon civic meetings, courts, and as an alarm in case of fire or attack. The town crier rings a hand bell when he walks throughout the town declaiming news and proclamations. The criers are the main source of news for town dwellers. They also have the task of ringing their bells to solicit prayers in memory of people who have paid for the privilege.