Within the village community, the basic social and economic unit was the family. The family was nuclear, meaning it generally consisted of the two parents and their children. The size of the household tended to reflect the economic status of the household: The higher a family's income, the more children it was likely to have. Medieval historians share the opinion based on tax and court records that the number of people living under the typical cottage roof was rarely more than five or six.

However, the nuclear family sometimes expanded to take in extended family members. Size fluctuated as children died, aging grandparents moved in and stayed until they passed away, and cousins occasionally moved in as renters. Regardless of size or composition, all family members shared in all of the family's intimate details and participated in all ceremonies and rites of...