Sheep farming during the late 14th century of England

Sheep farming was a big part of England’s economy during the late 14^th to 15^th century. Winchester was a huge sheep farming business during medieval times. Most the data of sheep farming during this time frame came from the Winchester estate that had roughly 20,000 sheep. The data comes for one estate so it is hard to relate it to the rest of England during the late 14th century.

Page, Mark. “The Technology of Medieval Sheep Farming: Some Evidence from Crawley, Hampshire, 1208-1349.” The Agricultural History Review, vol. 51, no. 2, 2003, pp. 137–154. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40275965.

Sheep farming suddenly took a decline and affect the whole economy. After the black death was done running terror through Europe, management had a different approach to wool prices and that was to keep prices low. Mostly people were poor at the time and could not afford high prices. Sheep were under feed during the late 14th century and 15th century because of the lack of food because of the black plague. Lambs were starved or stunt their growth and this had an affect on the wool industry. This caused the wool to not be as good quality and restricts the sheep from fighting diseases. The trend was that the overall sheep production was going down. In the past they got more weight of wool than they do now. Some managers still tried and give their sheep medicine or took them to a vet. All these can be small factors but small advances of technology limited managers in what they were able to do with their sheep. The idea of disease and climate could have had an impact on sheep farming but it was the managers’ decisions in the end that made all the difference.   

Most people low yields of wool were due to bad choices and using bad techniques because of the crumbling economy.  Climate was bad during the winter and created a short term problem. But the long term problem was created by the farms not reacting to the climate. Better management practices could have resulted in more production in sheep farming.

The national income was no longer depending on sheep farming to carry an economy. Grain productivity was raised a lot throughout parts of the country in decades before the Black Plague to feed the sheep. It helped feed the population of England as well as boost their economy.  It also showed how managers housed their sheep, how many sheep farmers owned to keep production up, and how the animals were feed.

 In conclusion it is important to note that the data comes from only one estate so it is hard to relate it to the rest of England during the late 14th century. England in the beginning was very dependent on the wool industry. It is how their economy survived during the medieval time. Once production was down they had to find a new way to keep the economy going. This made sheep farming going down and not many people did it anymore. People had to find new ways to provide for their families. Sheep farming was very important to late 14^th century England.

Military Technology That Changed England: The Longbow

In war, there are a few factors that go into determining the outcome. The strategy, soldiers, and technology a side all plays a role in the outcome. However, having an advantage in technology gives the soldiers an edge in the fight. There is a saying “never bring a knife to a gun fight”, for England having their revolutionary Longbow meant they “brought a gun to a knife fight”, metaphorically of course. This fight I am referring to is the Agincourt Campaign which was in 1415 and was a part of the Hundred Years War.

It is also important to note the type of soldiers used in these conflicts from a cultural perspective. Knights during that time were viewed as men amongst boys. Everything from the armor to the weapons helped establish the superior complex that these soldiers had. These soldiers would be molded into masculine knights at a very young age. By doing this the ideological belief of superiority was also instilled in these soldier from a young age. With a technical teaching and the mental fortitude instilled for years all they would need is their weapons. Some would carry swords and some would be assigned to become archers. The archers largely watched over these knights in battle and acted as backup incase the knights became outnumbered.

The reason the Longbow was so good was because of its design, its counterpart the short bow could handle a smaller amount of weight distribution on the release of the arrow. This means that the arrows of the longbow would have more velocity and force when impacting an enemy. It also meant that the soldiers operating this weapon could be farther away from a battle and could remain safe. The soldier in the longbow group would act as a defensive unit in battle meaning the attacking English was able to send less men into battle while also holding a strategic advantage. The goal of the English forces was to draw the French out into an open battle field. What the French would see is a smaller English force what they would not see is the hundreds of soldiers concealed in a forest or hill side waiting to halt their advances. The English King’s throughout this conflict were able to conduct battles whenever they wanted without stretching their numbers too thin in battles.

English Longbow

Overall, the strategy of war was largely based around the use of the longbow. This may not seem like an innovative success for today’s military technological standards but in the 14^th century it not only shaped the war but also helped England establish their territory. This technology allowed already strong knights of England to possess another advantage on the battle field. It also helped the king and commanders plan battle strategically and were able to utilize less knights because of the long range cover the army possessed. The longbow was no match for the French short bow and the French soldiers paid the price. With the major victory in Agincourt England would go onto win this everlasting conflict.