Tradition and Transformation in Anglo-Saxon England: Archaeology, Common Rights and Landscape (Debates in Archaeology)

"Most people believe that traditional landscapes did not survive the collapse of Roman Britain, and that medieval open fields and commons originated in Anglo-Saxon innovations unsullied by the past. The argument presented here tests that belief by contrasting the form and management of early medieval fields and pastures with those of the prehistoric and Roman landscapes they are supposed to have superseded. The comparison reveals unexpected continuities in the layout and management of arable and pasture from the fourth millennium BC to the Norman Conquest. The results suggest a new paradigm: the collective organisation of agricultural resources originated many centuries, perhaps millennia, before Germanic migrants reached Britain. In many places, medieval open fields and common rights over pasture preserved long-standing traditions for organising community assets. In central, southern England, a negotiated compromise between early medieval lords eager to introduce new managerial structures and communities as keen to retain their customary traditions of landscape organisation underpinned the emergence of nucleated settlements and distinctive, highly-regulated open fields."--Publisher's website Current explanations for the origins of Anglo-Saxon England are generally based on the premise that older forms of social organisation did not survive on any scale into the post-Roman period. Common pastures are thought to have originated during the fifth and sixth centuries, and open fields are believed to have first appeared around the mid-ninth century. The argument presented here suggests a new paradigm. It proposes that some elements of the old Romano-British - perhaps even prehistoric - forms of collective social organisation persisted into post-Roman centuries, and goes on to argue that FC Half title Debates in Archaeology Title Copyright Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Prologue 1 Introduction Part I Tradition 2 Common pasture 3 Arable laid out in open fields Part II Transformation 4 Innovations in agricultural management Part III Explaining Continuities and Transformations 5 Continuities in common pasture and open-field systems under narrow CPrRs 6 Transformation into open-field systems under wide CPrRs Epilogue Bibliography Index List of figures Acknowledgements Prologue Introduction Tradition Common pasture Arable laid out in open fields Transformation Explaining continuities and transformations Continuities in common pasture and open-field systems under narrow CPRS Transformation into open-field systems under wide CPRS Epilogue Bibliography Index . Explores The Origins Ofanglo-saxon England Between 400 And 900 Ad Through The Organisation Of Arableand Commons.