Christopher Dyer

Lords and peasants in a changing society : the estates of the Bishopric of Worcester, 680-1540

1. Origins, 680-1086 2. Feudalism and the bishopric 3. The seignorial economy, 1086-1350 4. The peasantry, 1086-1350 5. The lords economy: the last phase of direct management, 1350-1400 6. The lords economy: administration and income, 1400-1540 7. Real income and expenditure, 1375-1540 8. Demesne leases and lessees, 1370-1540 9. Population change, 1348-1540 10. The tenant population, 1348-1544 11. Deserted villages 12. The relationship between lord and tenants, 1350-1540 13. Lord and tenant relationships: rents and tenures, 1350-1540 14. The land-market and peasant landholding 15. The peasant holding: agriculture 16. The peasant economy: the market, getting and spending 17. The village community.

English Peasant Buildings in the Later Middle Ages (1200–1500)

FROM A SYNTHESIS OF evidence for late medieval peasant buildings this article argues that their size, quality and complexity have frequently been underestimated. Documentary evidence from the West Midlands is used to define the main features of peasant buildings—agricultural buildings as well as houses—in the period 1350–1500. Similar characteristics are found in the same period in other regions, in the context of their own building traditions. The origins of durable vernacular houses must be sought in the 13th century with the move away from earth fast construction. A series of changes began long before the ‘Great Rebuilding’ of the 16th and 17th centuries, and connected with that process in an evolutionary pattern.

The English medieval village community and its decline

The village community has a shadowy existence in historical writing about the English Middle Ages. With a few honorable exceptions, scholars have been reluctant to assign to the village any central place in their account of medieval society. In some cases it is ignored or given such small emphasis as to imply that it was of little importance, and it is still necessary to provide evidence for the existence of the community and its organization. This essay is concerned first with questions of definition and locating the village communitys role in society and government. Second, the problem of the communitys decline will be investigated, examining the relationships between villagers, mainly in the peak period of social and economic development around 1300, and then exploring the evidence for deterioration in the unity of the village after 1350. This is intended to reexamine the subject in the light of recent work and in particular to consider the skepticism about the collective nature of peasant society. Attention will also be given to the idea that late medieval villages were as divided in their social structure and as collusive with outside authorities as were their successors in the early modern period.

The hidden trade of the Middle Ages: evidence from the West Midlands of England

Abstract A study of the medieval trading network of two English West Midland counties shows that much commercial life was conducted outside the formal system of boroughs and markets. A variety of types of trading places are identified, and are shown to have existed in other regions. This leads to the conclusions that official interest influenced but did not control trading; that the proportion of the population in non-agricultural occupations was larger than a count of the inhabitants of boroughs would lead us to expect; and that there was commercial vitality after 1350 despite the decline of some boroughs and markets.

Conflict in the landscape: the enclosure movement in England, 1220–1349

ABSTRACT Between 1220 and 1349 groups of people destroyed enclosure banks, hedges and fences in defence of their common rights. Many law suits were provoked by encroachments on common pastures. This reflected the importance of an enclosure movement which had its main impact in wooded, upland or wetland landscapes. It led to large areas being taken out of common use, and a growing proportion of land being controlled by individuals. The beneficiaries of enclosure included the lords of manors, but also landholders below the gentry. The opponents of the movement had some success in preserving areas of common pasture.

The aging lung

The human lung is a resilient and complex organ, capable of uninterrupted functioning without defect over a lifetime. While there is a body of knowledge regarding macroscopic and physiological changes that occur in the lung with age, there is still much to be understood. In itself this is not surprising given the complex interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that might play a role in these changes. Lung tissue is highly susceptible to environmental factors, which can have an impact over the course of a lifetime, including smoking, pollutants, occupation and nutrition.

Hanbury : settlement and society in a woodland landscape

Origins, until Domesday Hanbury in its prime, 11th to 14th century settlement - retreat and new beginnings conclusions.

Sheepcotes: Evidence for Medieval Sheepfarming

SHEEPCOTES were late medieval buildings for the shelter of flocks and the storage of fodder, among other functions. They are visible as earthworks and are recorded in documents. This study uses mainly Gloucestershire examples to provide insights into medieval sheep husbandly, and changing patterns of land management.

Vernacular Architecture and Landscape History: The Legacy of 'The Rebuilding of Rural England' and 'The Making of the English Landscape'

Abstract W. G. Hoskins, writing in the 1950s, developed the new subject of landscape history, and regarded buildings as an essential part of the historic landscape. Since then there has been some separation between architectural and landscape studies. This article advocates their reconnection, and in particular urges those studying buildings to set their work in a landscape context. A framework is proposed, in which houses are located in plots, settlements, territories and regions.

Small Places with Large Consequences: the Importance of Small Towns in England, 1000-1540

English small towns before industrialization deserve our attention because they provided homes and livings for large numbers of people–a tenth of the population by 1300. Small towns, even those with only a few hundred inhabitants, can be distinguished from various ‘town like’ settlements such as industrial and open villages. They can be regarded as fully urban, and shared many characteristics with larger towns. They played an important role in the commercial hierarchy, and brought trade to the ordinary producers and consumers of the countryside. Small towns influenced the economy and society of their neighbourhood, not least by providing a channel for migration and social advancement. As centres of entertainment and culture they diverted and even civilized those who lived in and around them. Small towns were important for those who lived at the time, but they are also significant for modern perceptions of the past. Historians, through studying them, are encouraged to revise their views of government, economic change and regional differences.