[Sca-cooks] Re:William's Post

[Chris Stanifer]

--- The Sheltons <sheltons at sysmatrix.net> wrote:

> An interesting question. William began his Harrying of the North in 1069
> after putting down a series
> of rebellions in Kent, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, etc. He used the
> Sherman method of burning
> everything between York and Durham: houses, fields, crops, tools, etc. {York
> also got burned down
> by the friendly visiting King Sweyn of Norway}. I've seen guestimates as
> high as 100,000 people
> dying. The area was described as a desert, and at the time of the Domesday
> Book, several hundred
> estates were listed as "waste."  Presumeably, they burned down the forests
> as well; it may be mentioned
> specifically somewhere in the Anglo/Saxon Chronicles. By the time they
> visited to do the Domesday
> Book (~20 years later), the forests would have regrown and reclaimed many of
> the unused fields. I
> would assume a lack of firewood (for both cooking and winter heat) were
> amongst the causes of the
> high death toll.
>

That was my understanding, as well.  I am currently looking for evidence of this through online
Arborial studies of the region, looking specifically for fire damage or other 'catastrophic' loss
of forests around that time period.  Not much luck yet...and if anyone can point me to the proper
direction, it would be appreciated.

However, I am also assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the Norman occupation of the region
would/may have prevented the subjugated peasants from actually doing much foresting or wood
gathering during the period, particularly in the regions which were under siege for a considerable
time.  I have a gut feeling that some fuel gathering would have been necessary, if for no other
purpose than to keep the occupation force fed and warm, but did any of this fuel get dispersed
into the rural or urban communities?  Common sense would seem to indicate that it did, but to what
degree?  100,000 + dead (due to famine and hypothermia??) might seem contraindicative.

I'd be interested in learning more about this, if anyone has the time and expertise.

William de Grandfort
Norman Invader

=====
Every heart to love will come... but like a refugee.


		
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