The dietary impact of the Norman Conquest: A multiproxy archaeological investigation of Oxford, UK

Abstract

Archaeology has yet to capitalise on the opportunities offered by bioarchaeological approaches to examine the impact of the 11th-century AD Norman Conquest of England. This study utilises an integrated multiproxy analytical approach to identify and explain changes and continuities in diet and foodways between the 10th and 13th centuries in the city of Oxford, UK. The integration of organic residue analysis of ceramics, carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope analysis of human and animal bones, incremental analysis of δ 13 C and δ 15 N from human tooth dentine and palaeopathological analysis of human skeletal remains has revealed a broad pattern of increasing intensification and marketisation across various areas of economic practice, with a much lesser and more short-term impact of the Conquest on everyday lifestyles than is suggested by documentary sources. Nonetheless, isotope data indicate short-term periods of instability, particularly food insecurity, did impact individuals. Evidence of preferences for certain foodstuffs and cooking techniques documented among the elite classes were also observed among lower-status townspeople, suggesting that Anglo-Norman fashions could be adopted across the social spectrum. This study demonstrates the potential for future archaeological research to generate more nuanced understanding of the cultural impact of the Norman Conquest of England, while showcasing a method which can be used to elucidate the undocumented, everyday implications of other large-scale political events on non-elites.

Finding Oxford’s medieval Jewry using organic residue analysis, faunal records and historical documents

“…A total of 70 sherds were sampled, 16 from the preceding St Aldates phases 1 and 2, 28 from the Jewish Quarter phases 3 and 4 and a further 26 sherds from The Queen's College site (which is contemporaneous to the Jewish Quarter phase), to act as a direct comparison (Tables 1 and 2). Of these, 8 potsherds from the St Aldates phases 1 and 2 were published previously (Craig-Atkins et al 2020).…”

“…Certainly, following the Conquest, zooarchaeological evidence suggests an increase in the consumption of both young pig and domestic fowl, this being most apparent in towns and at elite sites, such as castles, which is thought to reflect the influence of the Norman elite (Sykes 2007;Jervis et al 2017). This trend was also observed among Oxford's Saxo-Norman population (Craig-Atkins et al 2020). However, the complete absence of pig bones in phase 3 does not reflect this trend and the dominance of bird bones is far greater than that seen at other sites (Serjeantson 2006).…”

Diversity aboard a Tudor warship: investigating the origins of theMary Rosecrew using multi-isotope analysis

“…The general trend of relatively high δ 15 N and low δ 13 C values for all eight of the crew are characteristic of a largely terrestrial protein-rich childhood diet in a C 3 ecosystem and consistent with isotope data from other late medieval British sites (figure 4; see [107][108][109] for European sites). Individuals with high δ 15 N and relatively low δ 13 C have been interpreted as representing protein-rich diets involving the substantial consumption of freshwater fish, omnivorous animals or crops and animals raised on manured land [28,41] (but see [30,31] royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos R. Soc. Open Sci.…”

“…Meats (most commonly beef and pork) and fish (both marine and freshwater) were consumed in different quantities by all levels of late medieval society, as evidenced by historical, isotopic and zooarchaeological research [ 25 – 27 ]. From at least the fourteenth century, the Church had placed greater emphasis on avoidance of meat for fasting rituals, leading to increased fish consumption [ 25 ], which is suggested in the widespread elevation of δ 13 C and δ 15 N values at sites from this period [ 28 , 29 ], but the impact of food insecurities may have also played a role [ 30 , 31 ]. However, by the time of the movement towards the Reformation in the 1530s, with the abandonment of the Lenten fast, there was a decline in fish consumption [ 25 ].…”

Large-scale Isotopic Data Reveal Gendered Migration into early medieval England c AD 400-1100

“…Even less research has been done on Norman migrants, with individuals dated to the post-Conquest period more likely to be studied for dietary changes introduced by this elite replacement rather than individual mobility. The implicit assumption being that the number of 'Normans' who came over was small and that they would be hard to find archaeologically (or are buried in active churchyards and unavailable to study) (Craig-Atkins, 2017;Craig-Atkins et al, 2020).…”