Unwelcome

A couple of times today, I have come face to face with fourteenth century Britain. First, reading about changes in the landscape. 1348 saw the first wave of the Black Death. No-one was counting, but most historians accept that 30-50% of people died. Half your family, half your friends, half of the village, half of the town. What unimaginable, insufferable, paralysing, terrifying horror. How could people go on?

We all learned about abandoned villages - there were at least 1300 of them, 250 spread across Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Houses were emptied and never refilled. There were also abandoned landscapes - people moved from marginal land to easier land, abandoning the Breckland, the thin hillside soils, the heaths and moors for more productive soils

But that was only half of it. A little piece in our village magazine gives snippets from a small archaeological dig here. There are quite a lot of pottery sherds and other artefacts from 1066-1300, then pitifully few until 1500, then increasing quantities. The article makes it clear it was not only those mid-century plague years that were responsible

Early in the century there was a mini ice-age. Crops failed, or could not be planted, 80% of livestock died. There was famine from. 1315-1321; 10-25% of people died. Then the plague. Then again, a generation later (1361), plague returned - another 20% dead. This was followed by further famine

Of course, I'm well aware that similar, and worse, events are happening in many places today. But still there is something about the fact that it happened here on these lands, in these houses, to our ancestors, that makes me pause. Count my blessings, I suppose

This is our own mini-plague. We anticipate, and try to protect against, muntjac damage in the orchard, but this is the garden, a handful of metres from the house. I've seen one here once, and more recent 'evidence' but this is the first real damage. I wonder what is particularly tasty about fig! They have also grazed the bluebells to the ground - one of their favourite meals, apparently. Worse things happen