Women’s work

Matilda was one of many married woman in medieval London who were involved in trade or business. Many carried on ‘traditional’ female crafts such as brewing or cloth working. However, under London law, a widow could inherit her husband’s business and run it, if there were no son or the son was too young – and as long as she did not remarry. So, in the 1430s Johanna Hill, also the wife of a bell-founder, inherited the foundry run by her husband Richard and managed it successfully for several years making church bells, with a staff of four apprentices, six servants, a specialist ‘bell-maker’, a clerk, four workmen and two women servants.