Food, craft, and status in medieval Winchester : the plant and animal remains from the suburbs and city defences

With major contributions by J. Bourdillon, K. M. Clark, J. P. Coy, F. J. Green, H. Rees, D. Serjeantson, and P. Smith. Other contributions by M. Gomersall, K. E. Qualmann, G. D. Scobie, and K. D. Thomas. It provides a record and analysis of medieval environmental evidence from the less studied extra-mural areas of Winchester and assesses what these discoveries add to the understanding of the city’s past. The report includes the most comprehensive study of animal remains from a medieval English town published up to this time. The study is based on excavations from the 1970s and early 1980s, which, by examining sites on the defences and in the historic suburbs, enlarged the scope of previous extensive investigations within the city walls. This volume is essential reading for all those concerned with the animals, plants, and environment of a medieval town, as well as being of value to urban archaeologists and to those with an interest in the history and archaeology of Hampshire. It sheds light on the management of the animal and plant resources in and around one of England’s foremost cities, as well as providing glimpses of everyday life in Winchester through its keeping, buying, consuming, and disposal of the familiar fowls and fish, plants and animals, over a period of almost a thousand years. List of figures vii List of tables x List of appendix tables xii List of contributors xv Acknowledgements xvi Summaries (English, French, and German) xvii 1. Introduction 1 Background by K. E. Qualmann 1 Introduction to this volume by D. Serjeantson 2 Introduction to the Saxon and medieval suburbs of Winchester by G. D. Scobie, H. Rees, and F. J. Green. 2 Molluscan evidence for the environment of the western suburb by K. D. Thomas 5 The archaeology of the sites discussed by M. Gomersall, F. J. Green, K. E. Qualmann, and H. Rees 5 Introduction to the animal and plant remains by D. Serjeantson 10 2. Late Saxon, medieval, and post-medieval plant remains by F. J. Green 14 3. Late Saxon and medieval animal bone from the western suburb by J. P. Coy 27 4. Late Saxon animal bone from the northern and eastern suburbs and the city defences by J. Bourdillon 55 5. Medieval and post-medieval animal bone from the northern and eastern suburbs and the city defences by D. Serjeantson and P Smith. 82 6. Pathologies of the sheep by K. M. Clark 158 7. Food, craft, and status: the Winchester suburbs and defences in a wider context by D. Serjeantson 166 Appendix 1: The circumstances in which the sites were excavated 184 Appendix tables186 Bibliography 260 Index 266