Barns, granaries and security: crop storage, processing and investment in medieval England

Increased storage capacity was an essential part of demesne farming in England, as many surviving barns indicate. Their size facilitated their use also as winter workplaces for threshing grain and pulses. Another use, although undocumented, was probably wool storage. Church estates in particular invested in them, but the later Middle Ages saw many, mostly smaller, barns built by prospering tenant farmers. They therefore had considerable social as well as commercial significance.

Automated summary

Increased storage capacity was crucial for demesne farming in England, evidenced by the presence of many well-preserved barns. These barns were not only used for storing grains and pulses, but likely served as wool storage as well. Church estates particularly invested in them, while prosperous tenant farmers in the later Middle Ages also constructed numerous smaller barns. Thus, they held significant social and commercial importance.