<P> The Normans initially did not significantly alter the operation of the manor or the village economy . William reassigned large tracts of land amongst the Norman elite, creating vast estates in some areas, particularly along the Welsh border and in Sussex . The biggest change in the years after the invasion was the rapid reduction in the number of slaves being held in England . In the 10th century slaves had been very numerous, although their number had begun to diminish as a result of economic and religious pressure . Nonetheless, the new Norman aristocracy proved harsh landlords . The wealthier, formerly more independent Anglo - Saxon peasants found themselves rapidly sinking down the economic hierarchy, swelling the numbers of unfree workers, or serfs, forbidden to leave their manor and seek alternative employment . Those Anglo - Saxon nobles who had survived the invasion itself were rapidly assimilated into the Norman elite or economically crushed . </P> <P> The Normans also established the royal forests . In Anglo - Saxon times there had been special woods for hunting called "hays", but the Norman forests were much larger and backed by legal mandate . The new forests were not necessarily heavily wooded but were defined instead by their protection and exploitation by the crown . The Norman forests were subject to special royal jurisdiction; forest law was "harsh and arbitrary, a matter purely for the King's will". Forests were expected to supply the king with hunting grounds, raw materials, goods and money . Revenue from forest rents and fines came to become extremely significant and forest wood was used for castles and royal ship building . Several forests played a key role in mining, such as the iron mining and working in the Forest of Dean and lead mining in the Forest of High Peak . Several other groups bound up economically with forests; many monasteries had special rights in particular forests, for example for hunting or tree felling . The royal forests were accompanied by the rapid creation of locally owned parks and chases . </P> <P> Although primarily rural, England had a number of old, economically important towns in 1066 . A large amount of trade came through the Eastern towns, including London, York, Winchester, Lincoln, Norwich, Ipswich and Thetford . Much of this trade was with France, the Low Countries and Germany, but the North - East of England traded with partners as far away as Sweden . Cloth was already being imported to England before the invasion through the mercery trade . </P> <P> Some towns, such as York, suffered from Norman sacking during William's northern campaigns . Other towns saw the widespread demolition of houses to make room for new motte and bailey fortifications, as was the case in Lincoln . The Norman invasion also brought significant economic changes with the arrival of the first Jews to English cities . William I brought over wealthy Jews from the Rouen community in Normandy to settle in London, apparently to carry out financial services for the crown . In the years immediately after the invasion, a lot of wealth was drawn out of England in various ways by the Norman rulers and reinvested in Normandy, making William immensely wealthy as an individual ruler . </P>

What kind of jobs were there in medieval times