Another visible change, which occurs after the Norman Conquest, is the nucleation of villages. The reason for this could be argued. The Normans administration was very centralised. With the rapid spread of Manor’s, owned by the kings Lords. These manors were units used for political, economical and judicial purposes and so villages tended to make themselves accessible to them. Resulting in the closeness of the villages. However during this period there was an ever-increasing population, on the completion of the Doomsday book the population was recorded to be 2 million, by 1300 the population is said to be around 6 million people. As the population expanded rapidly new settlements were needed to house the increasing numbers of people leading to villages growing close to each other.
Due to the extensive building the Normans undertook, with the building of churches, manors, castles and the need for new villages. Large amounts of woodland were cleared to provide fuel and supplies. Also with the population expanding resources were stretched to the limit meaning that more farmable land was needed. Again this resulted in vast amounts of woodland being cleared to provide farmland. As well as land being reclaimed from marshland and even the sea, in Lincolnshire between 1170 and 1240 50sq miles were retrieved from the sea. During the 13th century in Leicestershire 78% of the land was used for arable farming, 12% was used as meadow, 5% as pasture and 5% was woodland. In order to have a successful economy more meadow, pasture and woodland is needed. This removal of woodland was discovered to be dangerous for the economy and so the forest law was past but rarely enforced. Despite the attempts to create enough food for people many farmers could barely produce enough to feed themselves and by the end of 1300 many people were dieing of starvation.
Another change during this era was the development of the open field system, though started around 1086 was not fully developed till around 1300. The open field system consists of long narrow strips being allocated to peasants within a community. Each community tended to 2-3 strips and one would lay fallow to allow regeneration. In 1220 S. Stoke (Oxfordshire) changed their two fields into three, this meant their land was used more than usual and so yields dropped. Usually the fallow field would often house the livestock and communal checks meant that each person ensured that the farm was running effectively. Before the open field system there was the enclosed field system. Where each farmer was responsible for his own farm, due to the fact that farms reverted back to this system could indicate that the open field system was enforced on the peasants and its unlikely that without the Norman occupation its unlikely the open field system would have existed in England. The open field system is typical of people who are tied to the land and not the system of those who are free to choose their own method of farming.
Other changes to the landscape in England is the development of monasteries and abbeys due to the monastic movement, as people became members of these orders, their land and possessions became the property of the order they belonged to. This meant large amounts property became consolidated under the control of different abbeys. Also the introduction of Romanesque style buildings, which is said to have been brought by the Normans but was rapidly spreading through Europe and more than likely would have been adopted by the English in due time.
In conclusion I think it is safe to say that there was definitely many changes in the rural areas of England with the change in farming methods, the change in building style, the expansion of living space and the clearing of woodland its hard not to imagine the landscape dramatically changed. However the reasons why are harder to envision. It’s easy to say that most of these changes started at the time of the Norman Conquest and so that must be the reason. At a closer inspection most of the changes could be put down to other factors. The population growth had extreme effects on the rural areas as it meant that many changes in lifestyle had to be adopted, these changes where not brought by the Normans. The extensive building of castles and manor houses and the introduction of the open field system are the only changes in the rural landscape that could be said were caused by the direct influence of the Normans. For the other changes the Normans could be said to be merely catalysts as its most likely that these changes would have come about in due time.
Bibliography
Hollister C. - The Making of England- 1983- America
Hoskings W. G. - The Making of The English Landscape- 1985- London
Kirby D. P. - The Making of England- 1967- London
Muir R. - The English Village- 1980- London
Rackham O. - The History of The Countryside- 1986- London
Rackham O. - Tree’s and Woodland- 1990- London
Rowles T. - Norman England- 1997- London
Trevor Rowley, Norman England (London: B.T. Batsford 1997) p.123
To be considered nucleated a settlement must be within “Hailing distance” (around 150m)
Extensive survey of England carried out by William II, completed in 1086
The development of abbeys to which people joined in order to become Monks and Nuns, to take on a life of prayer and service to god.
