CHANGE OF FAMING PRACTICES IN BRITAIN

When the Romans invaded in 43 AD, they became a substantial user of farm produce, especially corn that they again requisitioned. In many the invasion brought a new found wealth to the farmers, as they now had a ready made and abundant buyer for their products. To ensure that at least the basic rations for the army were available, the Romans levied a tax known as Annona Militaris which was paid in kind in the form of produce by the farmers. The amount to be paid over was calculated as a percentage of the crop. This did put pressure on the farmers to grow as much as possible, as the Romans took their taxable portion before the farmer was allowed to keep any for himself or his tribe. The farmer saw this as an opportunity to sell more of his produce, not only to the military, but also to the people in the towns that were now appearing in Britain. To summarise, there were three basic factors that changed the British way of farming under the Romans:

• The new towns needed to be supplied with food from outside their boundaries.
• The famous Roman road system and the opening up of rivers to traffic made transporting farm produce much easier and enabled the farmers to distribute their wares further afield.
• The currency became stronger, so trade was easier, with small denominations now available, so that even small transactions could take place.

But even though the Romans bought newfound wealth and life into British farming, they also brought new problems. With the building of new towns, and the increase in size of settlements to the size of a town, this meant more people in a concentrated area, and so less workers for the farms. Also the towns were growing bigger and more people meant more demand on the farms. Therefore, as yields per acre did not increase, more unused land had to be given over to farming. This was further complicated by the way, in which large towns like Colchester swallowed up surrounding land that could, and was, used for farming. This became a matter of contention and helped fuel the events that led to the Boudiccan Rebellion. The situation was eased slightly by the development of better, more efficient tools for working the land. The original Celtic plough, for example, could cut a grove into the soil, but later versions enabled the soil to be cut to a greater depth and also turned to one side. Very few ploughs have been found, as they were not discarded or lost, but returned to the blacksmith to have new parts fitted and when they were beyond repair, they were broken up to make other tools.
The introduction of two-handed scythes made the cutting of the cereal crops faster and easier. Better quality axes and so meant woodland could be cleared faster and so turned into farmland. It was not just the tools that improved. The Iron Age Era brought the introduction of spelt, a form of wheat that suited the damp climate of Britain. This allowed a winter sowing as well as one in spring. Along with rye, oats etc. and root crops such as turnips, parsnips and carrots provided vegetables not only for the people, but also for the animals to eat in winter.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 817