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Most landlords obtained the ir income directly from th e home farm, and also from letting out some of their land in return for ren t in crops or mon ey. Th e size of the home farm depend ed on how much land th e lan dlord cho se to let out. In th e twelfth cent ury, for example, man y landlords found it more profitab le to let out almost all the home farm lan ds, and thu s be paid in money or cro ps rathe r th an in labour. In fact it is from thi s period that the word "farm" co mes. Each arrangement the lan dlord made to let land to a villager was a "firrna": a fixed or settled agreeme nt.

Language, literature and culture The growth of literacy in England was closely connec ted with th e twelfth -century Ren aissan ce, a cultural move ment which had fi rst started in Italy. Its influen ce move d northwards along th e trade routes, reac hing England at th e end of th e centu ry. This revo lut ion in ideas and learning brough t a new desire to test religious faith against reason . Schools of learning were established in man y town s and cities. Some were "grammar" schools independent of th e C hurch , wh ile ot he rs were attached to a cat hedra l.

He had want ed the support of th e knightly class against the greater lords, and it was pa rtly for this reason tha t he had called on the m to be represented in Parli ament. No w he saw the danger that as a class they might become seriously weakened. T he Jews were midd lemen in an econo mic process whic h was the result of socia l forces at work in th e co un tryside. W hi le th e econo mic function of the Jews in prov iding capi ta l had been useful the y had been safe, but once thi s was no longer so, the king used popular fee ling against them as an excuse to expe l the m.