MIDDLE AGES
In medieval times, the feudal system dominated the land until the Black Death changed everything, says Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough
How people lived and worked in the medieval countryside
In the first centuries of Anglo-Saxon England, the land was less intensively cultivated than it had been under the Romans. Timber-framed farmhouses were dotted across the landscape, with arable home fields. These were surrounded by open pasture, woodlands and wastelands where animals could be grazed. The basic unit of land was the ‘hide’, which seems to have been a measurement of value rather than area. The 7th century lawcode of King Ine of Wessex lists the rent due for 10 hides as: ‘10 vats of honey, 300 loaves, 12 ambers of Welsh ale, 30 ambers of clear ale, 2 full-grown cows or 10 wethers, 10 geese, 20 hens, 10 cheese, a full amber of butter, 5 salmon, 20 pounds of fodder and 100 eels.’ Not all farmers could expect to be this lucky, and bad harvests were to be feared.
Land use wasn’t uniform across AngloSaxon territories. In the east, the soil was lighter and easier to farm, so more crops were grown. Further west, heavier soils were harder to manage, so livestock was more important.
Farmers’ fortunes were much improved in the 7th and 8th centuries by a significant technological breakthrough: the mouldboard plough. Before this, farmers had used a ‘scratch plough’, a simple ard that could cut a furrow for seeds, but wouldn’t turn over the earth. The new plough still cut a furrow, but the strips of cut sod would be lifted onto the mouldboard and tipped out beside the furrow. This new technology made the job much quicker, allowed the soil to drain and released more nutrients. But it also needed teams of oxen and men to pull it across the fields.
A FAMILIAR FORM EMERGES
Around the same time the open-field system began to appear. By the High Middle Ages it was the norm: two or three large fields divided into strips and managed by individuals or families during the growing season, then used as common grazing land for the rest of the year. It meant that everyone had to cooperate to get the ploughing, sowing and harvesting done. Typically, one of the fields was left fallow and livestock were put out to pasture there. In a handful of places in England and Wales, vestiges of the open-field system remain, most famously in Laxton, Nottinghamshire.
From the middle of the 10th century, villages took on a more familiar form as the ‘toft and croft’ system was introduced, in which houses were evenly spread around a manorial estate held by one of the king’s noblemen. This became more established after 1066, with William I parcelling out land to his men. The bonded peasants – villeins or serfs – who worked the land were tied into the feudal system, unable to leave without their master’s permission.
It wasn’t until the Black Death hit in the 14th century that things began to change. With a third of the population dead, many farms and villages were abandoned and the feudal system started to break down. Many manorial estates were broken up, and lands came into the hands of middle-ranking yeomen and herdsmen. With peasants thin on the ground, they could demand wages and better working conditions.
The way the land was farmed also changed, as high-intensity arable farming gave way to cattle pastures, rabbit warrens, deer parks and fish ponds. By the time the population recovered, some 100-200 years later, the agricultural and social landscape had changed dramatically.
1. HOUND TOR, DEVON
Eerily atmospheric remains of an abandoned medieval village on the eastern edge of Dartmoor. The village seems to have been deserted in the late 14th century, due to a combination of worsening weather conditions and the effects of the Black Death. Free. Open daily. Dartmoor, TQ13 9XG. www. english-heritage.org.uk
2. DANELAW DARK AGE VILLAGE, YORKSHIRE
Museum of Farming. A reconstructed Viking/ Anglo-Saxon village, where schoolchildren can dress up as ‘Dark Age’ villagers and learn to grind wheat, work the fields, make pottery and train with (blunt) weapons. £7. Open daily. Murton, YO19 5UF. 01904 489966, www.murtonpark.co.uk/viking
3. LAXTON VILLAGE, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Visit the village that still operates the ‘open field’ farming system used throughout the medieval period. At the other end of the country, you can visit Braunton Great Village in Devon, which also preserves an example of this ancient farming landscape. Free. Open daily. Laxton, NG22 0NX. 01777 871586, www.laxtonvisitorcentre.org.uk
4. ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY CENTRE, DORSET
With its Neolithic log cabin, Iron Age roundhouse, Roman forge, Anglo-Saxon workshop, Viking longhouse and ancient farmstead, this atmospheric centre provides opportunities to experience what life on the land was like throughout these early historical periods. Check website for prices and opening times. Cranborne, BH21 5RP. 01725 517618, ancienttechnologycentre.com
5. WEALD AND DOWNLAND OPEN AIR MUSEUM, CHICHESTER
Explore 1,000 years of English rural life, including a replica Anglo-Saxon house nestled in the woodland. There’s a good chance you’ll never want to leave. £14. Open daily. Singleton, PO18 0EU. 01243 811348, www.wealddown.co.uk