Adam grew up in the farming community of Easton just outside Norwich. The peasant or cottager could expect to perform heavy labour throughout the year in exchange for the right to farm his small plot of land. Over time the labours he was required to give were commuted for money rents, but even so with relatively little land from which to grow crops to feed his family and then pay over 10% to the Church, the life of the farmer was tough. The extract below from the Survey of Somersham, albeit a century earlier than our story, still shows clearly the sort of exactions demanded on just such a peasant in return for his cottage and strip of land.
Baldwin holds a cottage and gives 2d. for Witefe and he owes by week except harvest one work and in harvest each week 3 works. So that through no feast will he be quit from a work unless from Christmas up to Pentecost and he should do a bundle of charcoal against Christmas and carry it to the waterside or to the lord's manorial courtyard and he shall plough in the year 3 acres and owes 6 hens and 6 eggs and he owes carrying service on his back without a horse and he should at the lord's visit carry a bundle of branches and he shall make a quarter of malt and there from he is quit from 3 works and he shall find thrice in the year a man at brewing and he owes a work at weeding and a work at lifting hay and a man at reaping and at the great boon with food a man and in the morrow a man without food and at Waterbedripe a man and he should guard the prisoners through a night and bring them to Ely. Item he owes from the new tenement 2 acres for 16d. equally.
From British Library Cotton Tiberius BII ff111-113
