As Steward of the Manor, John Aycliffe was responsible for making sure that everything on the Estate ran smoothly. Part of this responsibility was overseeing the collecting of taxes from the village which supported the Manor and dealing with any crimes that occurred there. Aycliffe is described as being very cruel, sometimes having peasants punished by whipping or dismemberment. When Crispin's mother dies, Aycliffe even takes their only ox as a form of tax, leaving Crispin with absolutely nothing.
In short, Aycliffe has power over the people of Crispin's village because they fear him. The peasants' lives are spent making sure that they support the Manor, and if they even make one wrong step in their responsibilities, they know that Aycliffe has the authority to do whatever he wishes to punish them.
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