Description
This is the first book for 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 contextualising 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.
About the Author
Rhiannon Comeau is completing doctoral research into the early medieval Welsh landscape at UCL Institute of Archaeology. Her earlier research has been published in Medieval Archaeology, Landscape History and Archaeologia Cambrensis. She has a particular interest in interdisciplinary approaches to the estates, focal places and agricultural systems of the early medieval period. She is a committee member of the Medieval Settlement Research Group and a Trustee for the Cambrian Archaeological Association. Andy Seaman is senior lecturer in early medieval archaeology at Canterbury Christ Church University. His research focuses on Wales and western Britain, and he has particular interests in settlements and the agrarian landscape, networks of power, and the early Church. He has published widely in these areas, including major articles on Dinas Powys hillfort and the 'multiple estate model'. He is engaged in a number of projects focused on South Wales, including the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project Manifestations of Empire: Palaeoenvironmental Analysis and the End of Roman Britain.
Reviews
It is an important book which makes available timely and updated results as well as significant new insights into the practice and development of Welsh agriculture in the medieval period. It will provide a solid foundation for future studies, and is welcomed as a major contribution to the subject. * Archaeologia Cambrensis - Cambrian Archaeological Association *
[...] there is much that is of real substance, and being parochial, much that is relevant to Shropshire's Welsh borderland. * Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological & Historical Society *
...a platform for more coherent, thematic research by deploying what is an excellent series of studies at various scales - local, regional and national - from 13 contributors. * Medieval Archaeology *
...represents a distinct advance on the work of previous generations of scholars, and it fulfils to a marked degree the editors' hope that it will provoke "further studies that challenge and overtake existing understanding". * The Medieval Review *
The papers in this volume will be accessible and engaging even to readers unfamiliar with Wales; the editors must be commended for ensuring a consistent pitch and a reasonable length ... The glossary, which includes technical terms from medieval Welsh, will be helpful to many readers ... and the lengthy bibliography is very useful. [T]his slim volume succeeds in being not only an informative overview of recent work but also an inspiration for future study. Anyone looking for a research topic on medieval rural landscapes would be well advised to explore the chapters of this book and take up the editors' challenge: "Over to you, readers". * Speculum - A Journal of Medieval Studies *
Book Information
ISBN 9781911188391
Author Rhiannon Comeau
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint Windgather Press
Publisher Windgather Press
These issues are explored through new syntheses and case studies focused on Wales, and contextualising 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.
About the Author
Rhiannon Comeau is completing doctoral research into the early medieval Welsh landscape at UCL Institute of Archaeology. Her earlier research has been published in Medieval Archaeology, Landscape History and Archaeologia Cambrensis. She has a particular interest in interdisciplinary approaches to the estates, focal places and agricultural systems of the early medieval period. She is a committee member of the Medieval Settlement Research Group and a Trustee for the Cambrian Archaeological Association. Andy Seaman is senior lecturer in early medieval archaeology at Canterbury Christ Church University. His research focuses on Wales and western Britain, and he has particular interests in settlements and the agrarian landscape, networks of power, and the early Church. He has published widely in these areas, including major articles on Dinas Powys hillfort and the 'multiple estate model'. He is engaged in a number of projects focused on South Wales, including the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project Manifestations of Empire: Palaeoenvironmental Analysis and the End of Roman Britain.
Reviews
It is an important book which makes available timely and updated results as well as significant new insights into the practice and development of Welsh agriculture in the medieval period. It will provide a solid foundation for future studies, and is welcomed as a major contribution to the subject. * Archaeologia Cambrensis - Cambrian Archaeological Association *
[...] there is much that is of real substance, and being parochial, much that is relevant to Shropshire's Welsh borderland. * Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological & Historical Society *
...a platform for more coherent, thematic research by deploying what is an excellent series of studies at various scales - local, regional and national - from 13 contributors. * Medieval Archaeology *
...represents a distinct advance on the work of previous generations of scholars, and it fulfils to a marked degree the editors' hope that it will provoke "further studies that challenge and overtake existing understanding". * The Medieval Review *
The papers in this volume will be accessible and engaging even to readers unfamiliar with Wales; the editors must be commended for ensuring a consistent pitch and a reasonable length ... The glossary, which includes technical terms from medieval Welsh, will be helpful to many readers ... and the lengthy bibliography is very useful. [T]his slim volume succeeds in being not only an informative overview of recent work but also an inspiration for future study. Anyone looking for a research topic on medieval rural landscapes would be well advised to explore the chapters of this book and take up the editors' challenge: "Over to you, readers". * Speculum - A Journal of Medieval Studies *
Book Information
ISBN 9781911188391
Author Rhiannon Comeau
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint Windgather Press
Publisher Windgather Press
