What did the town people do in the middle ages?

Answer 1

Earning a Living: Most villeins (or peasants) worked a week work - two or three days labour each week on their Lord's land which they exchanged for shelter and a little food. They may have owned (or inherited) some land of their own which needed their attention also. The Church had enormous influence in those days and also owned their own villeins (to work the Church's lands). Freemen, who did not answer to the Church or a Lord may have owned businesses or worked a trade.

Many people owned a little toft (the garden surrounding their home) on which they could raise chickens, grow herbs, onions and other local produce. Barley, rye or wheat may have grown there (but the guild didn't like this and fiercely protected their rights to supply grains & flour). Depending on the time & country, many freemen could own small strips of land - a valuable asset for dower's, dowery's and making a comfortable living but also hard work.

The local tavern was not just a source of ale, it was also a place where sailors could share info about the tides in forge in ports & the locations of sandbanks and reef, or carters could discuss the fastest (or safest) route between towns, or burghers (merchants) could discuss the best suppliers and potential customers.

Entertainment & Holidays:

Life was full of hardship, illness and death but because attendance in the Church was more or less compulsory, there were many "public holidays" in the form of religious holidays and festivals that distracted the commons from their arduous lives. The days where hard, they worked long hours for little gain and the law offered them little so these days of relief were highly anticipated and often accompanied with a fine meal, lots of ale, singing, music, dancing and general merriment.

Sometimes townsfolk were called on to act out Bible stories or folk stories as part of their religious or secular holiday. Touring troupes would occasionally visit and provide entertainment (there were actors, strong men to fight, contortionists, ale and singing). Some of the larger towns would hold a market each month; many buyers and sellers would come from far and wide for the day(s) out.

Superstition ran rife so there were several times each year when the townsfolk would hold festivals in the hope of good crops or rains, etc. The touring judges or local juries (and subsequent punishments) also promised an interesting day and were often well attended. If law dictated that able bodied men be trained in Archery, the Lord would provide ale and arrows for the men to practice along with the chance to win a silver penny, a large fish or whatever prize the Lord saw fit to offer. Each town would have its own customs too which meant more entertainment as they acted out their customs or festivities.