ABSTRACT
In the outside world the status of women had been deteriorating and for the most part they were regarded merely as necessary appendages to men. But among the innovations which followed the Norman Conquest was the introduction of feudalism which changed and improved their position. Under this new system a centre of education was founded which flourished side by side with the monastery. Boys were taught by the monks as they had been since the coming of the Christian missionaries; but in the feudal castle there was provision for a more alluring training in shooting, riding, hawking and verse-writing. In the same way, the lady of the castle ensured that her maidens learned to weave, to spin and to sew, to gain experience in the running of a large household, to read and sometimes to write as well.
