A form of serfdom under the feudal system, whereby peasants were free, but restricted in their movements and options by their lord, to whom they owed labour and services. In theory, the lord in return was meant to look after the wellbeing of the villein.
Villeinage
Fact of the Day
17th century butchers could be fined for killing bulls without baiting them first. Baiting was thought to improve the quality of the meat.
Quote of the Day
"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business.
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~ Henry Ford
On This Day
1316 Robert the Bruce's brother, Edward, defeats Edmund Butler at Ardscull, Co. Kildare.
1500 Spanish sailor Vincente Yáñez Pinzón became the first European to land in Brazil.
1765 Byron the poet's great uncle kills a man in a Pall Mall pub after an argument about wildlife management, and specifically who had more deer on his estate.
1788 The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, established the first colony in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour).
1823 Edward Jenner, the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine, died of a stroke.
1871 The Rugby Football Union was formed in London, by an initial 21 clubs.
1905 Maria von Trapp was born in Vienna. Her story inspired the musical The Sound of Music.
1926 John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of live television.
1942 The first American forces arrive in Europe, landing in Northern Ireland, in preparation to fight in World War II.
1950 The Constitution of India came into force, which established the Republic of India.
1952 At least 20 people were killed and hundreds injured in anti-British riots in Cairo.
1982 The number of unemployed people in Britain rose above three million for the first time since the 1930s.