Anglo-Saxon women's daily activities depended greatly on her status. Traditionally, women in this period were cloth-makers and embroiderers. They would make a variety of different soft furnishings like wall-hangings, seat-covers, bedclothes and table linen. .
Male slaves were in charge of preparing food but serving drinks was a woman's job. .
Health and Life Expectancy.
Anglo-Saxon women had a high mortality(death) rate. The most common cause of death was from pregnancy, miscarriage and childbirth. The reason suggested for this was from lack of iron. Common ailments(sicknesses) were earaches, toothaches, burns, wounds, headaches and shingles. .
Pregnant women in this period were advised not to eat anything too salty or sweet, not to eat pork or any other fatty food, not to drink to the point of drunkenness, not to travel, not to travel much on horseback and not to drink any strong alcoholics drinks. .
Marriage.
When a woman was going to marry another man, the soon-to-be husband had to pay "morgengifu" (a morning gift) of money or land to the woman. The woman could control the land and do what she wanted with it as she pleased. She could give it away, sell it, keep it or bequeath it. Land that was named something like Morgay Farm or Morgay Wood meant that they were given as morgengifu. .
Two families could make a marriage agreement, however, the girl could have her say in who she married. Her kin only acted as her legal and financial advisor. She could not be forced in to a marriage that she did not want to be apart of. .
Here is an example of a marriage agreement in Anglo-Saxon England: .
"Here is declared in this document the agreement which Godwine made with Brithric when he wooed his daughter. In the first place he gave her a pound's weight of gold, to induce her to accept his suit, and he granted her the estate at Street with all that belongs to it, and 150 acres at Burmarsh and in addition 30 oxen and 20 cows and 10 horses and 10 slaves.
