Medieval Northern England, between 1066 and 1272, often referred to as the High Middle Ages, was a period of heavy unrest; a time of conquering, devastation, but eventually reconstruction.
Economy
In the High Middle Ages, Northern England's economy was primarily, if not completely, agricultural. However, English farming methods, particularly the "strip system" of cultivation they had developed, were "extremely inefficient" and the amount of grain production per acre was usually dismal (Sommerville, 2013).
During the 13th Century, wool was England's primary export. However, trading over long distances was still limited as most of Medieval England's land routes were poorly constructed and contained many potholes deep and wide enough to overturn a cart. Also, since the roads were made only from dirt, during rainy seasons they turned completely to mud which made cart travel impossible. Due to these poor traveling conditions, trading by sea was much more effective (Sommerville, 2013).
Eventually, Northern England, recovering from the devastation of William II's efforts, was met with the warmer temperatures of the "Medieval Warm Period" which produced a longer growing season and an increase in agricultural results (Sommerville, 2013).
Population
At the beginning of the High Middle Ages, the population of Yorkshire (see Figure 2), the eventual location of the Nostell Priory, was Anglo-Scandinavian, its people a mix of Viking and Anglo-Saxon heritage. The population growth seen in Medieval England post-William II took place primarily in Northern England as a result of their marked increase in agricultural production (Sommerville, 2013).
The fact that the people of Yorkshire spoke an English dialect that was nearly indecipherable to the people of Southern England, coupled with the poor land routes, meant that communications between the North and South were limited. If communication was necessary, most was accomplished via sea travel (Sommerville, 2013).
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| Figure 2 . Yorkshire, England |
The Harrowing of the North
In the winter of 1069, William the Conqueror invaded Northern England, devastating the countryside, including Yorkshire, in a successful attempt to "lay waste the northern shires and eliminate the possibility of further revolts" (Kapelle, 1980, p.5). Homes and farms were destroyed, the people of the north, slaughtered; William the Conquerer continued to pillage until 1086. Due to the destruction of farms, the only means of food production at the time, many more died from famine following the invasion (Kapelle, 1980).
Religion & Spirituality
William the Conqueror used the church as a way to promote colonization. In 1070 and beyond, the Normans founded monasteries all across the North of England, including the Nostell Priory in Yorkshire in the 13th century.
In 13th century Northern England, about "one man in fifty" (Sommerville, 2013) was a cleric. Most of these clerics were not priests, but deacons or sub-deacons, who could conduct religious services but not officiate at traditional masses. The diocese, or the church administration, was comprised of several parishes with each parish home to, on average, 400 members. The parish priests were referred to as "secular clergy" versus monks, nuns, and friars who were called "regular clergy". Approximately 17,000 regular clergy existed in England around the 13th century.
Around the same time, clerical celibacy was introduced as part of the Gregorian Reform movement, a series of moral reforms established by Pope Gregory VII (Sommerville, 2013). However, even still, it was widely known that many priests kept mistresses or engaged in other activities the church viewed as unfavorable.
Intellectual Renaissance
While churches and monasteries remained plentiful, they saw some loss of control over England's education around 1200 C.E. with the appearance of an intellectual renaissance. The peasant class enrolled in education without intention to become clergy members, literacy rates increased, and schools based primarily on religious studies were transformed into liberal arts facilities (Hemminger, 1997).
The Dissolution of the Monasteries 1536-1541
The Act of Supremacy, a legality passed by Parliament in 1534, declared Henry VIII the "supreme head" of the Church of England. This act was responsible for allowing Henry VIII to disband all monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in all of England, Ireland, and Wales including the Nostell Priory in Yorkshire, England (Baskerville, 1937).
