MEDIEVAL AND POST-MEDIEVAL MAMMAL AND BIRD BONES FROM LAUNCESTON CASTLE, CORNWALL; 1961-1982 EXCAVATIONS
Author(s): Umberto Albarella, Simon Davis
Over 9000 hand-recovered animal bones and teeth were identified and recorded from Launceston Castle. The majority derive from four periods: 6 (late 13th century), 8 (15th century), 9 (16th century - 1650) and 10+11 (1660-1840) and belong to cattle, sheep and pig, as well as a wide spectrum of other mammals and birds. Some are species known to have been highly esteemed by medieval gourmands, and with the prevalence of hind-limb bones of deer, presumably from haunches, attest to the high status of the diners at Launceston. Considered with other castle, urban and village sites in England, the faunal assemblages from period 10+11 is more urban in character, and the one from period 9 is intermediate. The decline of the high status aspects of the fauna in the upper levels correlates with historical references to the castle's decline. Like most faunal assemblages from English archaeological sites, the pig declined in importance relative to cattle and sheep in later medieval times. The numbers of juvenile cattle increase while there was little change in the ages of sheep culled in the Launceston succession. The sheep, pig and cattle remains show an increase in size by period 9. For the cattle this size increase was accompanied by a change of shape of the metatarsals and astragali and the reduced frequency of a dental anomaly. All these changes probably reflect improvements in husbandry and the possible import of livestock. A contemporary increase in the size of cattle and sheep bones is reported from some other sites in england and is probably linked with the Agricultural Revolution. We argue that these changes support the notion that English agricultural improvements rather than Georgian times.
- Report Number:
- 18/1994
- Series:
- AML Reports (New Series)
- Pages:
- 171
- Keywords:
- Animal Bone Animal Remains Bird Bone
