When we think of the medieval period, images of castles, knights, and peasants toiling away in their village fields often come to mind. It’s easy to fall into the assumption that these peasants rarely ventured beyond their tiny hamlets, living their entire lives within the confines of their birthplace. However, as Jason Kingsley, the modern Knight, points out, this perception is far from the truth. Medieval peasants did indeed travel, and they did so for a variety of reasons.

In medieval Europe, travel for peasants was not as simple as hopping into a car or boarding a train. Horses were a luxury, and beasts of burden were not readily available to the common folk. Therefore, for many peasants, travel meant relying on the most basic mode of transportation – their own two feet.

Foot travel in medieval times was a method that required a keen understanding of the landscape, a reliance on footpaths, road markers, and word of mouth. These paths, often unmarked and winding through the countryside, connected one village to another, allowing peasants to reach their destinations by navigating the intricate web of footpaths. Over time, as more people walked these routes, some roads earned names based on the towns they led to or from, making navigation somewhat more manageable.

Take, for example, the “London Road” in Oxford. This road, starting in Oxford, led to the bustling metropolis of London. Once it reached London, it transformed into “Oxford Street.” It’s a simple but effective naming convention that served as a practical guide for travelers. If you found yourself in London and wanted to journey back to Oxford, all you had to do was follow the same road, but from the perspective of London.

This practice of naming roads after their destinations was not unique to Oxford and London. Across England and other medieval European regions, countless roads carried names that indicated where they led, simplifying travel for peasants who may not have been able to read maps or written directions.

So, the next time you stroll along a historical road in England, consider the footsteps of those medieval peasants who relied on these same paths to journey from one place to another. Their humble but essential mode of travel is a testament to human ingenuity and determination, even in the face of the many challenges of medieval life.

[Via LS]