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The Wandering Herd: The Medieval Cattle Economy of South-East England c.450-1450
18 March 2021
A new volume on the medieval cattle economy of south-east England by Andrew Margetts, Archaeology South-East (ASE) has been published recently by Windgather Press, Oxbow Books.
The Wandering Herd: The Medieval Cattle Economy of South-East England c.450-1450 by Andrew Margetts, Archaeology South-East (ASE), is the first volume to take a detailed look at the development of cattle husbandry and specialised cattle farming in South-East England throughout the medieval period.
The British countryside is on the brink of change. With the withdrawal of EU subsidies, threats of US-style factory farming and the promotion of ‘rewilding’ initiatives, never before has so much uncertainty and opportunity surrounded our landscape.
How we shape our prospective environment can be informed by bygone practice, as well as through engagement with livestock and landscapes long since vanished. This study examines aspects of pastoralism that occurred in part of medieval England and suggests how we can learn from forgotten management regimes to inform, shape and develop our future countryside.
Past scholars of this region in the medieval period have been concerned with the importance of sheep, and to a slightly lesser extent pigs, and no systematic examination of the cattle economy has ever been undertaken. This new volume represents a deep, multi-disciplinary study of the cattle economy over the longue durée of the Middle Ages, especially its importance within the evolution of medieval society, settlement and landscape. It also explores the nature and presence of vaccaries, a high status form of specialised cattle ranch.
Andrew gave a presentation on this research as part of the British Agricultural History Society's Spring Seminar Series.