'Like her previous works, this is a dynamic contribution to the study of an often neglected but vital segment of society. Though attempting, as she does, to get into 'the hearts and minds' of the English peasantry is always fated to be an uphill struggle given the nature of the surviving sources … this volume will become a valuable touchstone for future scholars studying medieval social relations.' Stuart Pracy, Agricultural History Review
1. Introduction: the moral economy; Part I. Rank: 2. Lordship; 3. Our island story; 4. Honour and respect in peasant society; Part II. Reciprocity: 5. Hospitality; 6. Hearth, household and farm; Part III. Reputation and Witness: 7. Neighbours and strangers; 8. Markets and marketing; Part IV. The Wolf Sniffs the Wind: 9. HWILOM WÆS: Archbishop Wulfstan's old social order; 10. Land, law and office; Part V. The Aftermath of Conquest: 11. New words in the countryside; 12. Narrating the new social order; Part VI. In the World of the Manor: 13. Establishing custom; 14. Thinking feudally; 15. From rank to class; 16. Conclusion: forward into the past; Appendix. The family farm in peasant studies; Bibliography; Index.