Feeding the Brethren: Grain Provisioning of Norwich Cathedral Priory, c. 1280-1370 by Philip Slavin A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto © by Philip Slavin, 2008 ii Thesis Abstract Feeding the Brethren: Grain Provisioning of Norwich Cathedral Priory, c. 1280-1370, by Philip Slavin A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto, 2008 The present dissertation attempts to follow and analyze each and every individual stage of food provisioning of a late medieval monastic community. Chapter One is an introductory survey, describing the topic, its status quaestionis, problems and methodology. Chapter Two establishes the geography of crops in the rural hinterland of Norwich, with each manor specializing in different crop. A close analysis of the crop geography partially supports the Von Thünen thesis. Chapter Three looks at the agricultural trends of the demesnes. Roughly speaking, the period between c. 1290 and 1370 was a history of wheat’s expansion at the expense of rye, on the one hand, and legume shrinkage at the expense of grazing land. Chapter Four discusses annual grain acquisition, its components and disposal. It shows that about eighty per cent of the total supply derived from harvest, while the remainder came in form of tithes, grants and purchases. Chapter Five deals with the human and equine interaction. The bovine population was certainly dominant, but the draught horses easily outnumbered the oxen. Each year, the Priory authorities saved a great deal of money, because of (virtually) free customary carting service. iii Chapter Six explores the space for storing and processing of the annual grain supply. The five adjacent buildings, namely the Great Granary, brewery, bakery, mill and staples, allowed most effective cooperation between dozens of Priory labourers working in victual departments, on the one hand, and decreased transportation costs. Chapter Seven attempts to establish the relation between the Priory population, its annual grain supply and demand. Conversion of the grain into approximate calorific and financial equivalent reveals that the supply must have exceeded the demand. Chapter Eight is deals with the actual consumption of the grain supply. As far as Norwich monks are concerned, their annual bread and ale supply has certainly exceeded their normal requirements and there is no hint about selling the surplus. Joining the bread and ale accounts with those of the cellar, we arrive at astonishing calorific figures. Chapter Nine discusses the charity activities of Norwich Priory, particularly connected to the distribution of bread and ale among the needy. There were three distinctive groups: hermits, prisoners and paupers. According to almoner’s accounts, the Priory allocated generous sums of loaves and ale to the paupers. iv להורי ולחמי וחמותי, For My Parents, Edward Slavin and Tamara Slavin (née Olijnik) And my Parents-in-Law, Alexander Mozias and Svetlana Mozias (née Meiler) v Acknowledgments The present dissertation marks the culmination and, unfortunately, the end of what only yesterday seemed to be never-ending, challenging, yet exciting path towards the PhD degree. Five years of search and research, travel and study, writing and re- writing. Although the present work, to my best knowledge, is written by me only, it could not possibly be completed in its present form without the kind support of so many people, teachers, friends and relatives alike. Each and every of them deserves a separate and eloquent introduction here; the present format, however, compels me to keep succinct and brief. First and foremost, my deepest and most sincere thanks go to my Thesis Committee members: Joseph Goering, John H.A. Munro, David Townsend and Lawrin Armstrong. I am deeply thankful to them for their pastoral care, keen observations, critical advices and time. I am equally grateful to John Langdon, my external examiner, for his most careful reading of the manuscript, which slew some rather embarrassing errors. The remaining errors are, of course, mine. The Centre for Medieval Studies provided me generously with both financial support and stimulating teachers. In particular, I am thankful (in alphabetical order, not in order of preference) to Professors Virginia Brown, Nicholas Everett, Mark Meyerson, Andy Orchard, A.G. Rigg and William Robbins). Separate thanks go to Grace Desa the ‘Patience’. At the Pontifical Institute for Mediaeval Studies Library I have found, as many rightfully noticed over these years, my second (and according to some first) home. Writing my dissertation in its paleography room gave me the well-known feeling of ‘working from Nine to Five’ (although in most times it was rather ‘from Nine to Seven’). Special thanks go there to Caroline Suma, who, unfortunately, left the library last year, after having worked there for twenty-seven years. I am equally thankful to the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and the Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies (CRRS) Victoria College, University of Toronto, for generously financing my research trips to England. In the Albion proper, an endless list of individuals can be created whom I owe a great deal. I should thank the most helpful staff members of the National Archives (formerly, the Public Record Office), Kew Gardens, Surrey; the British Library, London; Norfolk Record Office, Norwich; Bodleian Library, Oxford; Corpus Christi College, St. John’s College and Cambridge University Library, Cambridge. As far as concrete individuals go, I should mention Professors Carole Rawcliffe, of University of East Anglia, Norwich, and Bruce M.S. Campbell, of Queen’s University, Belfast. The infecting influence of the latter can easily be detected in the present thesis. Brian Ayers, the Chief Archaeologist of Norfolk should be thanked for introducing me to the landscapes of Norfolk the Beautiful. Despite changing continents, languages and millennia, I remain grateful to my teachers at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, over the years. Just to name a few: (the late and much missed) Emmanuel Vardi (my first teacher in matters medieval), Amnon Linder (my MA mentor, whose dedicated support, both professional and personal, past and present, continues to inspire me), Avy Abramovici (my violin performance teacher), Benjamin Z. Kedar, Michael Toch, Esther Cohen, Emmanuel Sivan, Gabriel Motzkin, vi Michael Heyd, Guy G. Stroumsa, David Satran, Hannah Cotton, Debbie Gera, Dana Shalev, Naphtali Gutman, Don Harran, Jehoash Hirschberg, Julia Kreinin and Naphtali Wagner. The dissertation could not have been completed without the inspiration of numerous composers and bands, too numerous and diverse to list. From uncomparable beauty of Josquin Des Prez and Byrd, melodic perfection of Bach and Vivaldi, through extravertal expressions of Schuman and Brahms, philosophical reflections of Mahler and Debussy, mighty yet very personal chords of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, pastoral moods of Bartok, challenging structures of Schnittke and Artemiev, down to irresistible lines of the ‘Beatles’ and ‘Queen’, rebellious songs of the ‘Doors’, convention-breaking ‘Sex Pistols’, ‘Pixies’ and ‘Nirvana’, and earth-shaking voice of Ronnie James Dio. Alexander Laertsky, whose rarely sarcastic yet very real and intelligent sense of humour has been my constant source of support, should be thanked here separately. Same goes to Vladimir Vysotsky, the vox populi clamantis. More generally, but no less personally, I would like to thank my numerous friends and colleagues: Ilya Avroutine and Maria Kozlov, Leonid Budnevich, Edwin and Anne DeWindt, John and Sarah Geck, Susanne Jenks, Alan Kiriev, Zeev and Marina Lieber, Michael Margolin, Ivan and Svetlana Neganov, Max Nelson, Tim Newfield, Micha Perry, Jaclyn Piudik, Zvi Razi, Shai Shir, Judith Schlanger, Moshe Sluhovsky and Nathan Sussman. Whether over a pint (or shot), or in a formal atmosphere, the abovementioned persons have always encouraged me to go on with my dissertation project, even when I seriously doubted its wisdom and significance. Thanks should be extended to my immediate family: my parents Edward and Tamara Slavin (née Olijnik), who have always provided me their support, both parental and financial, and my parents-in-law, Alexander and Svetlana Mozias (née Meiler) who warmly welcomed me into their family. My brother Sasha and his family should be thanked, too. Last, but not least, Tanya Slavin, my better (and much beloved) half, sine qua non, has always been a source of unimaginable support, love and…forbearance. It is through her that I finally came to know the difference between house and home. I promise to dedicate my first monograph to her. vii Table of Contents THESIS ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................. II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................................................................................................................V LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................................... IX CHAPTER 1: HISTORIOGRAPHY, PROBLEMS AND METHODOLOGY ...................................... 1 HISTORIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................................