Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775Reilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
After this hunting and gathering era, there was farming and
domestication of animals such as horses, pigs, sheep, goats,
chicken, and cattle. Of these, the pig was the most important meat
supply, being killed and salted for winter use. Next in importance
were the cattle. Sheep were kept primarily for their wool. Flocks
and herds were taken to pastures. The male cattle, with wood
yokes, pulled ploughs in the fields of barley and wheat. The
female goat and cow provided milk, butter, and cheese. The
chickens provided eggs. The hoe, spade, and grinding stone were
used. Thread was spun with a hand-held spindle which one hand held
while the other hand alternately formed the thread from a mass and
then wound it around the spindle. A coarse cloth was woven and
worn as a tunic which had been cut from the cloth. Kings wore
tunics decorated with sheet gold. Decorated pottery was made from
clay and used to hold liquids and for food preparation and
consumption. During the period of "lent" [from the word "lencten",
which means spring], it was forbidden to eat any meat or fish.
This was the season in which many animals were born and grew to
maturity. Wood carts with four wheels were used to transport
produce and manure. Horses were used for transportation of people
or goods. Wood dug-out boats and paddles were used to fish on
rivers or on the seacoast.
Clans had settlements near rivers. Each settlement had a meadow,
for the mowing of hay, and a simple mill, with round timber huts,
covered with branches or thatch or turf supported by a ring of
posts. Inside was a hearth with smoke going up through a hole in
the roof, and a cauldron for cooking food. There was an upright
loom in the darkness. The floor was swept clean. At the door were
spears or bags of slingstones ready for immediate use. The King
lived in the largest hut. Gullies outside carried off excess
water. Each hut had a garden for fruit and vegetables. A goat or
cow might be tied out of reach of the garden. There was a fence or
hedge surrounding and protecting the garden area and dwelling.
Buckets and cauldrons which had originated from the Mediterranean
were used. Querns with the top circular stone turned by hand over
the bottom stone were used for grinding grain. There were ovens to
dry and roast grain. Grain was first eaten as a porridge or
cereal. There were square wood granaries on stilts and wood racks
on which to dry hay. Grain was stored in concealed pits in the
earth which were lined with drystone or basket work or clay and
made airtight by sealing with clay or dung. Old pits were
converted into waste dumps, burials, or latrines. Outside the
fence were an acre or two of fields of wheat and barley, and
sometimes oats and rye. Wheat and rye were sown in the fall, and
oats and barley in the spring. Sowing was by men or two oxen
drawing a simple scratch plough. The crops were all harvested in the
summer. In this two-field system, land was held by peasants in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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