GCSE
HISTORY (8145)
Paper 2 Shaping the Nation
Resource pack for the 2023 historic environment specified site
The Merchant’s House, Southampton,
Medieval England, the reign of Edward I,
1272–1307
The purpose of this pack is to provide you with guidance and resources to support your
teaching about The Merchant’s House, Southampton, the 2023 specified site for the historic
environment part of Medieval England, the reign of Edward I 1272 -1307. It is intended as a
guide only and you may wish to use other sources of information about The Merchant’s
House, Southampton. The resources are provided to help you develop your students’
knowledge and understanding of the specified site. They will not be tested in the
examination, as the question targets AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO2
(explaining second order concepts).
AQA GCSE HISTORY (8145) Paper 2 Shaping the Nation Resource pack for the 2023 historic environment
specified site The Merchant’s House, Southampton, Medieval England, the reign of Edward I, 1272–1307 2023
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General guidance
The study of the historic environment will focus on a particular site in its historical context and should
examine the relationship between a specific site and the key events, features or developments of the
period. As a result, when teaching a specified site for the historic environment element, it is useful to
think about ways of linking the site to the specified content in Parts 1, 2 and/or 3 of the specification.
There is no requirement to visit the specified site as this element of the course is designed to be
classroom based.
Students will be expected to answer a question that draws on second order concepts of change,
continuity, causation and/or consequence, and to explore them in the context of the specified site and
wider events and developments of the period studied. Students should be able to identify key
features of the specified site and understand their connection to the wider historical context of the
specific historical period. Sites will also illuminate how people lived at the time, how they were
governed and their beliefs and values.
The following aspects of the site should be considered:
location, function, and the structure
people connected with the site e.g. the designer, originator and occupants
the design and how the design reflects the culture, values, fashions of the people at the time
how important events/developments from the depth study are connected to the site.
Students will be expected to understand the ways in which key features and other aspects of the site
are representative of the period studied. In order to do this, students will also need to be aware of
how the key features and other aspects of the site have changed from earlier periods. Students will
also be expected to understand how key features and other aspects may have changed or stayed the
same during the period.
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Background information for The Merchant’s House, Southampton
Although there had been a settlement at Southampton since Anglo Saxon times, its importance as a
port really began after the Norman Conquest when it was ideally placed to communicate and trade
with the King’s lands in Western France. As a result, it continued to develop over the next two
centuries with its original timber motte and bailey castle (Resources C & D) being gradually rebuilt in
stone along with a further strengthening of the town’s defences. During this time, medieval kings
owned several properties in the town and had royal accommodation built inside the city walls.
(Resource I). The castle looked over the quays on its western side and was used as a warehouse for
the wine which the King imported which was unloaded there and managed by the Keeper of the
King’s Wine.
Who built the Merchant’s House?
In about 1290 John Fortin, a wealthy Southampton wine merchant (Resource I), had a house built
for himself and his family at 58 French Street, to the south of the King’s castle. With its gable end
facing onto the busy street so that it would bring the merchant plenty of trade, it was designed to be a
shop, store, and home. John’s daughter, Lucya, went on to marry into another wealthy Southampton
merchant family, the Barbfletes, and records show that their grandson still owned the Merchant’s
House nearly one hundred years later.
This building in Southampton is one of the earliest surviving medieval merchant houses in England.
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