Signatures in the Soil: The Use of Pottery in Manure Scatters in the Identification of Medieval Arable Farming Regimes

Abstract

Data collected from fieldwalking have traditionally been used to identify ‘sites’ (high-density pottery concentrations) and to distinguish crudely between arable and non-arable zones on the basis of the presence or absence of low-density pottery scatters. A deeper analysis of ceramic manure scatters has been undertaken here using material collected from an extensive survey of fields in north Buckinghamshire and south-west Northamptonshire. This has revealed changes in medieval manuring strategies over time and between different arable farming regimes. These systems, such as infield/outfield cultivation, open-field farming, demesne blocks, and assarts can all be characterized by the manuring strategies they deployed and identified from the signatures these have left in the ground. The plotting of ceramic manure scatters thus permits the detailed mapping of each component of the medieval arable zone, leading to a more comprehensive reconstruction of the medieval rural landscape than has previously been attempted. Importantly, it is argued, the study of ceramic manure scatters may provide a new archaeological indicator of the origins and development of the open-field system.