UK Countryside history - 350 AD
By 350 AD, most of Britain was closely assimilated into the Roman empire.
The countryside was now completely cleared of wildwood and the landscape
was settled in an ordered way. Large estates dominated the farming system with cattle ranching, sheep
and arable production.
- Population
About 5 million with a significant urban population engaged in trades and
crafts and no longer directly engaged in agriculture.
- Crops
New crops included walnut and vines whilst efficiency was improved on mainstream
crops with new machinery and improved storage. Arable crops would have been
grown widely throughout the UK, often far from markets with national surpluses
being exported to mainland Europe.
- Livestock
Livestock farming had grown to a larger scale with more widespread ranching
of cattle and larger sheep flocks. Meat, hides and wool were important both
for trade within the general population as well as in the supply of the
army.
- Farming Systems
The fourth century was the period of the greatest development of Roman villas,
many of which ran to thousands of acres. Some of the land would have been
farmed in hand with the balance being let to tenants. Generally speaking
agriculture was buoyed by a money economy, efficient transport and urban
markets.
- Woodland & Hedges
The wildwood had been cleared and woodland was managed through coppicing.
Hedges, fences and other linear features existed enclosing now larger rectangular
fields or marking boundaries close to farmsteads.
- Social Economy
While the Roman empire was strongly trade orientated it retained strong
bonds of social responsibility amongst its citizens. Remains and artifacts
of the period indicate widespread trade in metals, pottery, foodstuffs,
hides, textiles and what we might best describe as consumer goods. Life
in the towns was civilised with baths, sanitation, culture, education and
entertainment. However, despite the activity of the period the Empire was
under pressure and the UK was exposed to the winds of change. Within a few
decades life for the population would change dramatically again and the
order and sophistication of the Roman period would elude the UK for another
1000 years.
- Climate
Similar to today's climate.
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