Living off the Land: Agriculture in Wales c. 400 to 1600 AD

This is the first book in a generation on medieval agriculture in Wales, presenting evidence which is of considerable relevance to those studying the development of the early medieval landscapes of England and Ireland. This collection of essays confronts the paradox that, though agriculture lay at the heart of medieval society, understanding of what this meant for Wales remains limited. The papers address key questions that include: how did the agricultural systems of Wales operate between c. 400 and 1600 AD? What light do they cast on the material evidence for life in the contemporary landscape? How similar or different was Wales to other areas of Britain and Ireland? Can we identify change over time? How do we go about researching early Welsh agriculture?

These issues are explored through new syntheses and case studies focused on Wales, and contextualizing overviews of medieval agricultural systems in Ireland and England written by leading experts. Themes covered include the use of infield-outfield systems, seasonal land use and its impact on territorial and estate structures, and regional variation, all explored using a wide array of complementary multidisciplinary approaches. The introduction, written by the editors Rhiannon Comeau and Andy Seaman, gives context to the historiography, key debates, themes, and issues surrounding this topic. The book also includes an afterword written by Professor Andrew Fleming.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
List of figures
1 Introduction – Rhiannon Comeau and Andy Seaman
The wider picture
2 The Fields of Britannia: continuity and change within the early medieval landscape – Stephen Rippon
3 Resource management of seasonal pasture: some English/Welsh comparisons – Della Hooke
4 Changing perspectives on early medieval farming in Ireland – Meriel McClatchie, Finbar McCormick, Thomas R. Kerr and Aidan O’Sullivan
Wales
5 Living off the land in medieval Welsh law – Sara Elin Roberts
6 Medieval field systems in north Wales – Bob Silvester
7 Y Filltir Sgwâr: mapping the history of local land in a Welsh heartland – David Austin
8 The practice of ‘in rodwallis’: medieval Welsh agriculture in north Pembrokeshire – Rhiannon Comeau
9 Landscape, settlement and agriculture in early medieval Brycheiniog: the evidence from the Llandaff Charters – Andy Seaman
10 Culture, climate, coulter and conflict: pollen studies from early medieval Wales – Tudur Davies
Moving forward
11 Welsh landscape history: notes from the edge – Andrew Fleming
Contributors
Glossary
A general bibliography of key work on Wales
Index