Quarrelling was commonplace. For instance, borough authorities
would squabble over the choice of a schoolmaster; the parson would
carry on a long fight with parishioners over tithe hens and pigs;
two country gentlemen would continue a vendetta started by their
great-grandfathers over a ditch or hunting rights; the
parishioners would wrangle with the churchwardens over the
allocation of pews. The position of one's pew reflected social
position. Men tried to keep the pews of their ancestors and the
newly prosperous wanted the recognition in the better pews, for
which they had to pay a higher amount. But, on the other hand,
farmers were full of good will toward their neighbors. They lent
farm and kitchen equipment, helped raise timbers for a neighbor's
new barn, sent food and cooked dishes to those providing a funeral
feast and to the sick and incurable.
Village standards of behavior required that a person not to drink
to excess, quarrel, argue, profane, gossip, cause a nuisance,
abuse wife or children, or harbor suspicious strangers, and to pay
scot and bear lot as he was asked. Neighbors generally got along
well and frequently borrowed and loaned small sums of money to
each other without interest for needs that suddenly arose. Bad
behavior was addressed by mediation and, if this failed, by
exclusion from holy communion. There was also whipping and the
stocks.
Marital sex was thought to be good for the health and happiness of
the husband and enjoyable by wives.
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