Duncan L Berryman | Queen's University Belfast (original) (raw)

Papers by Duncan L Berryman

EXARC Journal, Dec 2, 2022

This paper will explore how manorial accounts from the fourteenth century can be used by archaeol... more This paper will explore how manorial accounts from the fourteenth century can be used by archaeologists to understand buildings that no longer survive. The long series of accounts of the Wiltshire manors of Longbridge Deverill and Monkton Deverill provide an excellent basis for study. By using documentary sources, rather than archaeological ones, this paper suggests that it is possible to build a picture of the manorial buildings over time, as they change and are rebuilt. It is also possible to understand the wider estate of which the manor is part, and the economics of medieval building maintenance.

Occupying Space in Medieval and Early Modern Britain and Ireland

Occupation of the landscape took many different forms and is one of the predominant ways of viewi... more Occupation of the landscape took many different forms and is one of the predominant ways of viewing settlement within the medieval world. Buildings are the most effective method of occupying space, both physically and psychologically. This paper will draw on current research into fourteenth century manorial buildings in England and explore how they were used to occupy both the landscape and the communities associated with them.

Sussex Archaeological Collections, 2020

This paper presents the results of recent research into the manor of Alciston, particularly the m... more This paper presents the results of recent research into the manor of Alciston, particularly the manorial buildings during the 14th century. Contemporary descriptions of the manorial buildings are placed in the context of the agricultural landscape and village. Observations of the current landscape and standing structures have helped to inform this study. This analysis reveals how the manorial curia may have appeared to a visitor in the later Middle Ages. It shows how construction material was used to draw the viewer’s attention towards certain buildings. It also shows that the courtyard was organised to optimise farming practices, rather than as a display of lordly power. Alciston was one of the most important manors in the Battle Abbey estate and was regularly visited by the abbot. Studying the buildings of its curia provides new insights into life in medieval Sussex.

Archaeology Ireland, 2009

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Castle Studies Group Journal

Ulster Journal of Archaeology

Association of Young Irish Archaeologists - Proceeding of Conference 2009, 2010

Imbas: Power in the Middle Ages conference - Select Proceedings, 2008

Archaeology Ireland, Jan 1, 2009

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Conference Presentations and Lectures by Duncan L Berryman

Medieval farmsteads were found across the countryside during the middle ages, and all villages we... more Medieval farmsteads were found across the countryside during the middle ages, and all villages were dominated by manorial farmsteads. Like most things, these farmsteads evolved over time. Saxon, high-medieval and late-medieval farmsteads appear to have had a similar pattern, but there is a change in the post-medieval period, particularly during the Enlightenment. This paper will discuss the changes in farmstead layout and explore the possible reasons for these changes.

Most of the research on medieval agriculture has focused on the great barns that still stand in t... more Most of the research on medieval agriculture has focused on the great barns that still stand in the landscape today. We have considered these buildings to be symbols of wealth, power, and authority. However, our focus on barns has meant that we have ignored the other agricultural buildings. The manorial buildings are rarely considered in an agricultural context. It is clear that animal houses were just as important as the barns, while kitchens, brewhouses and bakehouses were also essential buildings for the manor to function. However, some of these houses were on the edges of the settlement. The most significant of these were sheephouses and dovecotes, as they reflect two quite different aspects of the manor’s agriculture. Sheep were important, but they were not associated with social status in the same way as dovecotes were. This paper will explore how these two building types were placed on the edge of settlement, but not necessarily on the edge of society.

This paper will present current research into the archaeology of the buildings of manorial curiae... more This paper will present current research into the archaeology of the buildings of manorial curiae in fourteenth-century England. Manorial accounts can be used to provide a significant amount of information about the buildings that cannot be gained from excavation alone. It will be possible to compare the manors and estates of the great monastic institutions with those of lay lords and the royal estate. These comparisons will reveal how monasteries structured their landscape and buildings. Many manors show how these pious men chose to live in luxury and comfort, and invested large sums to maintain the buildings.

Within most manorial curiae there was a chapel, and the parish church was often closely associated with the curia. Within the curia, rituals of a different sort were at play. Agency and habitus had the effect of structuring the layout and appearance of the buildings. Appearance was important to people in the middle ages, possibly more important than has previously been appreciated by archaeologists. Curiae were the interface between the agriculture of the manor and the domestic rituals of the household; animal housing was placed next to the hall and chapel. The lords must have had a reason for placing these very different buildings together. This paper will explore how these buildings were organised, how they appeared, and how they were maintained. These are important questions to address in the study of the medieval rural landscape.

EXARC Journal, Dec 2, 2022

Occupying Space in Medieval and Early Modern Britain and Ireland

Sussex Archaeological Collections, 2020

Archaeology Ireland, 2009

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Castle Studies Group Journal

Ulster Journal of Archaeology

Association of Young Irish Archaeologists - Proceeding of Conference 2009, 2010

Imbas: Power in the Middle Ages conference - Select Proceedings, 2008

Archaeology Ireland, Jan 1, 2009

RefDoc Bienvenue - Welcome. Refdoc est un service / is powered by. ...

Wool production was an important industry in the fourteenth century. The English landscape create... more Wool production was an important industry in the fourteenth century. The English landscape created some high quality wool and its productivity made it highly profitable. Edward III’s taxation of wool to finance the war with France highlights the political importance of sheep farming and wool production. Many manors kept large sheep flocks during the fourteenth century, with some manors specializing in sheep rearing. But there was significant risk involved in sheep farming. Sheep murrain took its toll on the flocks over the century; war and politics affected the price of wool.
These animals needed housing, shelter from the weather, and protection from predators and thieves. This paper will look at how sheep were housed in the fourteenth century, and how those buildings were constructed and maintained. Manorial buildings were important to the lord, as they were symbols of authority and wealth; even agricultural buildings had a role to play. But to what extend did sheephouses fit into this social world? Did they too form part of the lord’s display of power, or were they merely functional buildings? This paper will combine archaeological evidence with documentary and economic evidence to create a holistic picture of sheep rearing and the importance of their housing.

Archaeologists often study the fabric of buildings and try to understand their construction techn... more Archaeologists often study the fabric of buildings and try to understand their construction techniques. These have produced many excellent studies of vernacular architecture and buildings such as Great Coxwell barn. The study of architecture can reveal much about buildings and how they functioned. These studies are often limited to standing remains, which allows the architectural historian to analyse the changes in the structure over time.
However, these structures should not be considered in isolation. These buildings were part of social complexes, having a role to play in the relationship between the lord and the peasants. It is also important that the economics of construction and maintenance be considered alongside the physical buildings. The questions of how and why medieval people chose to invest in building maintenance at certain times are key to understanding the medieval construction industry. The patterns in investment will also develop our understanding of estate management and where particular decisions were made about the maintenance of buildings.
Manorial accounts provide the opportunity to investigate the physical appearance and construction of manorial buildings along side the economics of their maintenance. The accounts reveal what was bought for the repairs, who was hired to carry them out and what buildings were in need of maintenance each year. Accounts also provide the opportunity to investigate changes in buildings that may not be visible in the standing structures, such as the replacement of a timber-framed building with a stone one. They will also reveal construction materials that are often invisible in archaeological excavation.
This paper will use current research to explore fourteenth-century manorial buildings through manorial accounts. This will explore the patterns of investment in the maintenance of buildings and what forms this maintenance took. Therefore it will be possible to draw some conclusions about how estates were managed in the fourteenth century and how lords chose to invest in their buildings.

Landscape had a major influence on medieval manors, both their economy and buildings. It is impo... more Landscape had a major influence on medieval manors, both their economy and buildings. It is impossible to study these complexes without considering their interaction with their landscape. This paper will look at the manors’ relationship with their hinterland, specifically how they used the resources available and how they were situated within the countryside. This research combines documentary research of the buildings with archaeological analysis of sites. The geographic focus of this research is southern England, with some examples from across the country to provide a comparison; specifically between Wiltshire, Sussex and East Anglia. This will provide new insights into how people in the Middle Ages responded to their environment and maintained their buildings.

Buildings do not exist in isolation. Archaeologists and architectural historians often study indi... more Buildings do not exist in isolation. Archaeologists and architectural historians often study individual buildings, or focus on how they were constructed and the materials that were used. But these buildings need to be placed in their social context and in their space. Manorial buildings were constructed in farmyards, associated with other types of building, and were designed to fulfil a function and to be seen by people.
This paper will explore the manorial curiae of fourteenth-century England, considering the space around which these buildings were arranged and how a visitor would have experienced this farmyard.

Medieval manors had a range of buildings to allow the operation of farming the land and these bui... more Medieval manors had a range of buildings to allow the operation of farming the land and these buildings created the character of the manor. England's varied landscape required diversification of agriculture and therefore diversification of buildings to accommodate this agriculture. This paper will present some preliminary results of research into the types of buildings found on these manors and the range of building materials within the manorial courtyards. It will also explore how the agricultural buildings were more than simply functional structures and were used to display the wealth of the lords of these manors.

Buildings can represent the power of their owners. This was as true in the Middle Ages as it is t... more Buildings can represent the power of their owners. This was as true in the Middle Ages as it is today. For a visitor, the appearance of a building had a significant impact on their opinion of the occupant and owner. On medieval manors, this impact was vital for the lord. Lords wanted to give an appearance of power over the tenants and guests; they wanted to display their wealth and their feudal authority over the village. This paper shall look at the manorial buildings of fourteenth-century England. These will provide good case studies to investigate how medieval lords used the buildings of their curiae to create an appearance of power.

This paper will look at current research into medieval manorial buildings and their landscapes. ... more This paper will look at current research into medieval manorial buildings and their landscapes. Using medieval documents, it is possible to achieve new insights into manorial buildings. This study of medieval buildings also considers their landscape context and its relation to construction materials and the economy of the manor. The combination of archaeology, documentary research and economics provides a more informed approach to the study of these buildings.

Buildings create identity and many buildings have identities. In the modern world, many building... more Buildings create identity and many buildings have identities. In the modern world, many buildings are synonymous with organisations, institutions or individuals; many companies are identifiable from the style of architecture that they employ in their buildings. But identity in architecture is not confined to modern buildings, medieval buildings also used architecture to express identity. Symbolism in medieval buildings is usually confined to churches, castles and great houses, but this paper will show that all buildings were used to influence the thoughts of those who viewed them. By focusing on manorial complexes, we will see how agricultural and domestic buildings created an identity for the lord in the eyes of other lords and his tenants. The expression of this identity may have created a conflict between the power that these manors represented and the tenants who resented the dominance of their overlord. The display of the lord's power through buildings would have been a constant reminder to the tenants of the fact that they owed rent and agricultural labour to the lord.

The manors of fourteenth century England provide excellent case studies to explore how buildings, construction materials and the layout of the courtyard could have been used to create an identity for the manorial lord. These manors demonstrate how agricultural buildings were used alongside the traditional domestic buildings to create an identity of wealth and power. But they also reveal the ways in which the conflict between lords and peasants was manifested physically in the buildings.

Society has often portrayed northern England as a desolate wasteland with a lower standard of liv... more Society has often portrayed northern England as a desolate wasteland with a lower standard of living compared to the south. The post-medieval landscape has been one of mills, factories and coal fields, but the medieval period saw the development of some of the most prosperous monasteries in England. This paper will compare the buildings and living conditions of a number of fourteenth-century manors in northern and southern England to demonstrate whether there really was a difference between these two areas, or if it is a creation of modern minds. This research focuses on the manorial buildings of the medieval estates to investigate the geographic differences.

Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 2016

The Quiet Landscape, Archaeological Investigations on the M6 Galway to Ballinasloe National Road ... more The Quiet Landscape, Archaeological Investigations on the M6 Galway to Ballinasloe National Road Scheme (NRA Scheme Monographs 15)

Through the Lands of the Auteri and St Jarlath, The Archaeology of the M17 Galway to Tuam and N17 Tuam Bypass Schemes (NRA Scheme Monographs 17)

Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 2015

The Liminal Horse: equitation and boundaries, 2021

This paper will discuss horse care on medieval lordly sites. As horses were the elite's primary m... more This paper will discuss horse care on medieval lordly sites. As horses were the elite's primary mode of transport, their care would have been vital, but this is a much-neglected subject. Horses were also an important animal for agricultural purposes, often being used along with oxen to plough and cart. This research focuses on the stables of manorial centres, revealing whether their appearance and position within the complex matched with the high social and economic status of horses. One particular type of stabling that will be considered is the royal horse studs, as these were located in marginal landscapes.