34 Decay of the Manor 



with every port-hole and every hatch, every opening on her 

 deck and sides closed, is a fine thing with which to weather a 

 storm, but people hate to be battened down in stuffy cabins, 

 engine-rooms, and lower decks when the storm has passed and the 

 weather is fine. The King had difficulty in governing his people 

 and in building up the prosperity of his country under the feudal 

 system. He was surrounded by powerful barons, some of whom 

 were always ready to challenge his position, and to extend their 

 power at the expense of his. In turn he was probably ambitious 

 to push his authority further over theirs, and to tighten the bonds 

 which held them in dependence. Nor was the great mass of the 

 people inclined to form the lowest layers of a pyramid with all 

 the weight of royal and baronial tyranny resting on them. 

 Spirited men that they were, and not wanting in sound sense, 

 they seized the opportunities which offered of claiming better 

 conditions for themselves. 



From the time that England was secure against serious attacks 

 from an outside nation the whole structure of feudalism was 

 subject to upheavals and undermining which have continued to 

 the present time. The system v^jas not a good one, but it worked 

 better under some kings than others, as kings were its heads and 

 directors and had the greatest influence over its character. From 

 its very beginning certain things worked to weaken it. People 

 on the manor were at first very much Jacks-of-all-trades. Besides 

 growing all their food, they spun all their cloth, tanned their 

 hides, and made their clothes and footwear. But even before the 

 Conquest they were altering their manner of life. Men began 

 to spend more of their time at one special kind of work. They 

 became armourers, carpenters, smiths, weavers, and tailors. 

 After the Conquest a large number were employed in building 

 castles, cathedrals, and churches. Many of these craftsmen came 

 from abroad. The growth of commerce was also attracting 

 labour from agriculture. The export of wool and the import of 



