Droughts in medieval and early modern England, part 2: Impacts

Pribyl, Kathleen; Cornes, Richard

doi:10.1002/wea.3529

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In addition, for example the cold periods of the 1430s (Camenisch, 2015a; Camenisch, 2015b; Camenisch et al, 2016) and the 1690s (Cullen, 2010; D'Arrigo, Klinger, Newfield, Rydval, & Wilson, 2020), and production failures following particular volcanic eruptions, like the 1257 Samalas eruption (Bauch, 2019; Campbell, 2017; Guillet et al, 2017; Stothers, 2000), have received considerable attention. Furthermore, studies on extreme drought or flood events commonly include discussion about impacts on the grain harvest (see, e.g., Kiss, 2019; Kiss, Piti, Sebok, & Teiszler, 2020; Pribyl & Cornes, 2020; Stone, 2014). Although a majority of the studies focus on particular crisis events, some publications explore the dynamics between climate variability and crop yields on multi‐decadal or even multi‐centennial time‐scales (see, e.g., Brázdil et al, 2019; Campbell, 2010; Huhtamaa & Helama, 2017a; Huhtamaa & Helama, 2017b; Landsteiner, 2005; Parker, 2013; Pfister, 2005; Pfister, 2007b).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and society in European history

Ljungqvist

Seim

Huhtamaa

2020

WIREs Climate Change

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This article evaluates 165 studies from various disciplines, published between 2000 and 2019, which in different ways link past climate variability and change to human history in medieval and early modern Europe (here, c. 700–1815 CE). Within this review, we focus on the identification and interpretation of causal links between changes in climate and in human societies. A revised climate–society impact order model of historical climate–society interactions is presented and applied to structure the findings of the past 20 years' scholarship. Despite considerable progress in research about past climate–society relations, partly expedited by new palaeoclimate data, we identify limitations to knowledge, including geographical biases, a disproportional attention to extremely cold periods, and a focus on crises. Furthermore, recent scholarship shows that the limitations with particular disciplinary approaches can be successfully overcome through interdisciplinary collaborations. We conclude the article by proposing recommendations for future directions of research in the climatic change–human history nexus. This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Ideas and Knowledge

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and society in European history

Ljungqvist

Seim

Huhtamaa

2020

WIREs Climate Change

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“…The Winchester accounts also explicitly refer to heat, which is unusual for medieval sources. Indeed the spring-summer 1361 had the highest temperature in a reconstruction based on grain harvest dates for the period 1256-1431 (Pribyl et al, 2012;Pribyl, 2017). Grain prices rose in the aftermath of the harvest of 1361, and grain exports except to Ireland were forbidden, but the real calamity hitting the country in this year was the Second Pestilence, which killed c. 10 % of the English population (Kerling, 1954;Pribyl, 2017).…”

Section: An Overview Of Droughts 1200-1700mentioning

confidence: 99%

A survey of the impact of summer droughts in southern and eastern England, 1200–1700

Pribyl

2020

Clim. Past

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Abstract. Droughts pose a climatic hazard that had profound impacts on past societies. Using documentary sources, this paper studies the occurrence and impacts of spring–summer droughts in pre-industrial England from 1200 to 1700. The types of records, source availability and changes in record keeping over time are described, and an overview of droughts in those 500 years is provided. The focus lies on a structural survey over the drought impacts most relevant to human livelihood. This includes the agricultural and pastoral sectors of agrarian production, health, the fire risk to settlements, and the drop in water levels or dwindling of water supplies. Due to the specific characteristics of wheat cultivation in medieval and early modern England, the grain production was comparatively resilient to drought, whereas livestock farming was under threat when rainfall fell noticeably below average. Nonetheless, the most important problem in warm and dry summers was the risk to health. Partly steeply raised mortality levels were associated with these conditions during the study period because malaria, gastrointestinal disease and plague showed an affinity to heat and drought. Adaptation strategies to reduce the stress posed by summer droughts are included in the study.

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“…It is evident from a number of weather compilations and other documentary sources that the period from January until July was very dry, and that a drought affected the region (Pribyl and Cornes, 2020a,b). A comparison of the number of rain days recorded in Boyle's diary and those recorded by Louis Morin in Paris indicates these dry conditions.…”

Section: Weather Conditions During the Yearmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robert Boyle's weather journal for the year 1685

Cornes

2019

Weather

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Robert Boyle was one of the most influential natural philosophers of the Enlightenment. Although he recorded fragmentary instrumental meteorological readings in his numerous works, it was generally thought that he did not record observations with the regularity seen in the journals of other late‐seventeenth century philosophers. However, in the Boyle archive at the Royal Society in London is a diary that was recorded while Boyle was living in London and which provides a largely complete record of twice‐daily barometer, thermometer and weather readings from December 1684 to January 1686. As far as I can tell, these data have not been converted to modern units or scrutinised in any systematic manner. In this paper I derive corrections for the instrumental observations and examine the weather descriptions. Although the record is short, it does provide a detailed daily snapshot of weather conditions for this 14‐month period around London. The dry conditions that lasted into early summer 1685 constituted the most prominent feature of the weather during that year. The journal indicates that the winter 1684/1685 was cold and frequent frosts and fog were experienced, although the following winter of 1685/1686 was relatively mild; summer 1685 appears to have been relatively cool. Overall, the data attest to the variety of weather conditions that could be experienced in London during the Late Maunder Minimum.

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Droughts in medieval and early modern England, part 2: Impacts

Abstract: A barley crop in Sheringham, Norfolk showing signs of drought stress brought on by the dry conditions experienced in the growing season 2011. As with modern varieties, old barley varieties were liable to suffer from drought.

Cited by 7 publications

References 7 publications

Climate and society in European history

Climate and society in European history

A survey of the impact of summer droughts in southern and eastern England, 1200–1700

Robert Boyle's weather journal for the year 1685

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