Comparing tithe and manorial demesne grain output before and after the Black Death in southern England

Neil Rushton
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Neil Rushton: University of Cambridge

No 5038, Working Papers from Economic History Society

Abstract: Estimates of agrarian output from the directly farmed manorial demesnes of landlord estates in medieval England dominate discussions of total agrarian output in the period c.1250-1450. This paper considers two manorial settings in southern England where it is possible to measure output from the demesne farms as well as the tithe received on two rectory manors making it in principle possible to compare landlord estates with the larger area of land farmed by the predominantly peasant population. The paper focuses on certain of the problems encountered when using information in the accounts of rectory manors which record the quantities of grain taken in tithe or the sums of money secured from the leasing of tithes in such settings. The manors concerned fell within the estates of the Bishop of Winchester between c.1300 and c.1400. One particular issue in the paper concerns the estimation of physical output from sums of money received when tithes were leased. In addition the paper will compare the trends in total output from land cropped within demesne and non-demesne before and after the Black Death and the varying crop mixes in the two sectors. The paper presents some striking trends in non-demesne grain output both before and after the Black Death.

JEL-codes: N00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005-04
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