Cattle Husbandry in Late- and Postmedieval England A Zooarchaeological Investigation of the Relationship between Town and Country

Abstract

Research carried out by scholars in different academic fields has highlighted the important transformations that English farming underwent during the transition between the late medieval period and the modern era, turning the English rural world into a major driving force of socio-economic change in postmedieval times. Zooarchaeological research has suggested that cattle, being the most widely used animal for agricultural work and a key element in the diet for this pe- riod in England, played a central role in these changes. In this paper, we review all available zooarchaeological evidence regarding cattle husbandry using biometrical data, taxonomic proportions, and kill-off patterns from urban, rural, and manorial sites across England, in order to discuss the timing, regional variations, and causes of cattle “improvements” during this period. Special attention is paid to the relationship between urban, manorial, and rural sites, as trade seems to be a key element in the development of these changes in cattle husbandry.