Fertilization by manure: a manor model comparing English demesne and peasant land, c.1300

If peasant land had been only as productive as demesne land at the turn of the fourteenth century, most English peasants would not have been able to make a living, since their holdings were too small. By modelling two hypothetical manors, one based on Midland conditions and one based on East Anglian conditions, this article argues that peasants' output per arable acre must have been 50 per cent higher on average. This was possible because they had much larger amounts of manure at their disposal with which to fertilize their land. The model is based on estimated stocking densities for three types of farms, namely cottages, half-virgates and demesnes, as well as live weights of cattle, sheep and pigs. The results support the view that the minimum farm size needed for subsistence was much smaller than has hitherto been held to have been necessary.