Farming was not a way of life in the Middle Ages – it WAS
life. If crops failed, the community would starve. Such was the way in the Time
Before Supermarkets 😦
And, there were times of famine in England, sadly. For a full list of human-killing events, do visit this site here.
That being said, in 1484/5, my Isabel was safe from famine, at least. Yay! So, let us look more generally at farming in Medieval England.
Introducing the Workers
But even under the new system, a manor would have permanent
agricultural workers. Amounts in brackets are in shillings, and were the
recommended wages according to the 1388 Ordinance of Labourers which was
reaffirmed by Parliament in 1349 (ooh, workers rights!).
{
Grangers
{
Carters (10s)
{
Plough team members (7s)
{
Reapers
{
Mowers
{
Smiths
{
Shepherds (10s)
{
Herdsmen - ox or cow (6s 8d) (swineherds and
female labourers 6s)
{
A maidservant (8s)
{
Harvest reeve – a supervisor (15s)
{
Bailiff – the big boss (20s)
The harvest reeve and bailiff would also likely be in
receipt of a bonus in the form of clothing allowance or bundles of faggots
(tied bundles of sticks for kindling fires).
Any extra work would be contracted to casual labourers.
The rent collector (or harvest reeve) would collect the
rents from tenant farmers. Most of these tenants would be expected to contribute
some boon work during harvest, but then get paid in cash or commodity rents the
rest of the time.
Part-time tenant farmers may have been expected to shoe
traction animals, dig ditches, herd animals, cart hay, produce/maintain farm
buildings/implements and assist with arable cultivation.
Types of Farming
One of the huge benefits was the lower maintenance cost of
around £2 per annum - 10s each shepherd’s wage, and under £1 for essentials such
as fencing, grease and tar. To buy a sheep was 1s.
The job of a shepherd was lowly but thanks to its affinity
with Christian ideology, it carried a slightly higher status than other farm
labourer roles. He was expected to be a kindly type (a bit simple) as sheep would shun him if
he wasn’t a gentle chap, apparently – this was generally accepted advice at the
time, don’t blame me.
Cattle were also kept, more for milking (mmm…cheese
and butter!). Cows were expensive though – 10s each as opposed to 1s for a
sheep, or even just 1 penny for a lamb! And they ate more. But then one could
tan hides and sell the leather for horses’ tack or to repair carts etc. And make cheese from their milk. Oddly, there's not much evidence of milk drinking.
But one of the biggest impacts on the English countryside was arable farming (crops). Although the cost of this started climbing thanks to the raising of wages and the scarcity of labour. Costs could include things such as: ploughing, sowing, reaping, carting, capital investment in a stock of plough beasts (& maintenance of), repairs to ploughs, purchase of seed, wages and the cost of the harvest feast (which could be lavish indeed – more than the cost of the harvest itself!).
The ensuing hay would help feed the livestock over winter.
The Farming Year
Plough beasts were fattened and the ploughs & carts would be repaired, often by travelling carpenters.
General tools and fences would be made/repaired through to February.
Withies (willow rods) would be harvested once the leaves had dropped, ready to be weaved into baskets.
Older fruit trees would be pruned.
In November, if a farm had pigs, acorns would be collected to feed them.
And in November/December, animals would be butchered. Some of the ‘flesh’ (meat) would be smoked or salted to ensure it lasted all winter. Peasants would kill their own animals.
Candlemas (02 Feb)
Spring ploughing would begin, dependant on hard frosts (it could be delayed up until late April!).
Once this was completed, a celebration may well take place with an attending minstrel and some special food such as garfish, sole or plaice.
Spring
In March, stable dung and soil from dovecotes would be spread over the fields. Horse, oxen, pig and even human droppings could be used as fertiliser.
Ploughmen had their own fields to attend to as well as the
fallow fields.
March – April was lambing season for those farms with sheep.
Spring sowing of barley, oats, legumes and vetches would be
carried out in April. Peasants would also plant vegetables in their own gardens
late winter/early spring. And there was harrowing to be done.
In April/May, fruit trees (apples, pears and sometimes berry
bushes) may be planted in the orchards and/or the peasants gardens.
In sun or showers, people would dig ditches and begin
ploughing the farrow fields in May.
Cows would start giving milk fully as they ate the fresh
spring pasture.
Human scarecrows would leap around to scare off birds until
the seeds sprouted. Children as young as three could run about the fields,
banging drums or sticks, ringing bells, clapping and/or shouting.
Then the corn fields would get weeded – men, women and
children would get involved in this.
By June, ploughs would be in need of repairs.
The second ploughing of the farrow field would be done.
Sheep shearing would be carried out, followed by a feast.
And hay would be made (whilst the sun shines, as the saying
goes). This could be done in June/July, and was vital as it would feed the
animals over winter.
Crops would be weeded in July.
This was actually the leanest time of year; supplies would
be low and the new harvests had not yet come in.
Tenants, neighbours, local farmers and boon workers (those obliged to as part of their rental contract) would all help out.
As men cut the crops, women would tie them into sheaves for
the carter to load and transport to the barn for storage.
The household would bake bread and brew ale every 2-3 days
instead to the usual 5-6 to ensure all were well fed.
Harvest could take around 28 days to complete – a
celebration was definitely in order after all that! Especially as this was the
basis for their survival. Grain may have accounted for around 80% of a person’s
calorie intake – think bread, ale and pottage.
Threshing – separating the grain from the stalks, was done
by men hitting the stalks with a flail.
Winnowing (separating the grain from the chaff; the outer
casing) would ensue. Often, they would sieve the wheat heads, letting the chaff
blow away in the breeze (or encouraged with the wafting of a sheet).
Threshing and winnowing could take up to two months. During
which time, the miller would start grinding the grain into flour. Water mills
were popular as they weren’t weather dependant, so long as there was a stream
nearby of course. But windmills were also in use.
Also, in late summer/August, fruit would be picked from
hedgerows and trees.
Peas, beans and vetches would be harvested. Much of this
would be dried for winter use.
September
This was about a month before Michelmas, when it would all
begin again.
Those poor labourers. Just as they were at their most hungry, they had to work their hardest!
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My book, Love in the Roses is
available for pre-order (click here).
To protect her family, she must marry the enemy!
The fictitious tale of a knight’s
daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.
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