ABSTRACT
Although the Black Death outbreak in 1347–9 dominates consideration of the fourteenth century, it was preceded by famine and disease that held back social and economic development. Towns in general ceased to continue to grow, and ports became increasingly vulnerable to French and other raiders. A few people benefited from occasional English success in France and were able to spend lavishly on buildings, gold and silver plate, and jewellery, but the general population’s attempts to gain higher wages and greater personal freedom were only partly successful. Many gained more control over their lives nevertheless, not least because more good-quality land became available for rent; some settlements in less favourable locations were abandoned.
