Beyond the Medieval Village
The Diversification of Landscape Character in Southern Britain
Published on 27. November 2008
Book
Hardback
338 pages
978-0-19-920382-6 (ISBN)
Description
The varied character of Britain's countryside and towns provides communities with a strong sense of local identity. One of the most significant features of the southern British landscape is the way that its character differs from region to region, with compact villages in the Midlands contrasting with the sprawling hamlets of East Anglia and isolated farmsteads of Devon. Even more remarkable is the very 'English' feel of the landscape in southern Pembrokeshire, in the far south west of Wales.
Hoskins described the English landscape as 'the richest historical record we possess', and in this book Stephen Rippon explores the origins of regional variations in landscape character, arguing that while some landscapes date back to the centuries either side of the Norman Conquest, other areas across southern Britain underwent a profound change around the 8th century AD.
Hoskins described the English landscape as 'the richest historical record we possess', and in this book Stephen Rippon explores the origins of regional variations in landscape character, arguing that while some landscapes date back to the centuries either side of the Norman Conquest, other areas across southern Britain underwent a profound change around the 8th century AD.
Reviews / Votes
Essential reading for all of those engaged in studying the development of the early medieval landscape. * Norfolk Archaeology * brings together much new information and Rippon is to be congratulated for assembling it, very often from less accessible sources ... Certainly his interpretations of some of the data will excite discussion. One can only hope for more similar studies. * Edward Martin, Medieval Archaeology *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
67 line illustrations, 19 b/w halftones
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
826 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-920382-6 (9780199203826)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dr Stephen Rippon studied archaeology at the University of Reading, where he was awarded his PhD on 'Landscape Evolution and Wetland Reclamation Around the Severn Estuary'. He went on to become a British Academy Research Fellow, and then a lecturer in archaeology (now Reader in Landscape Archaeology) at the University of Exeter. His research interests include the transformation of wetland landscapes through reclamation in the Roman and medieval period, and the origins and development of regional variation in landscape character.
Content
1. Introduction: Beyond Villages and Open Fields ; 2. At the Margins of the Champion Countryside: The Emergence of Villages and Common Fields in Somerset ; 3. Abbots, Bishops, Thegns or Communities: who was Responsible for Somerset's Champion Countryside? ; 4. Across the Watershed: The Development of Landscapes Characterized by Dispersed Settlement in the South West ; 5. Champion and Woodland? Landscape Evolution Beyond the 'Central Province' in Greater East Anglia ; 6. Marching On? The Development of Villages and Open Fields in South Wales ; 7. Conclusions