Description:The system of granges was originally pioneered by monks of the Cistercian order in the 12th century. They used lay brothers to run the farms enabling them to remain outside the then usual manorial system. The lay brothers acted as a buffer between the monks and the outside world, enabling them to act in commercial and business matters. The number of lay brothers remained buoyant until the economic changes after the Black Death in the mid 14th century reversed labour changes.
Cistercian granges were particularly associated with assarting and extending cultivation. The grange system was emulated by some other orders, particularly the Premonstratensians and the Augustinians such as Lilleshall. When a monastery acquired a substantial holding in a district a grange or farm was established from which the surrounding arable was farmed and pasture regulated. Cistercian regulations originally insisted that granges should be no more than a day’s journey from the mother house so that the lay brothers could attend the major festivals – a rule that was later ignored. The establishment of a grange might involve consolidation of land with resulting movement of people. The Cistercians have been accused of depopulation, but they more often moved people a short distance rather than removing them altogether as they often needed hired labour. Hired labour was often necessary as there were not enough lay brothers, particularly at busy times such as harvest, and being outside the manorial system they could not use the labour services of tenants.
There is no evidence that Augustinian canons used lay brothers to staff their granges, but most of their grants were of land already under cultivation. The scanty evidence suggests that the granges were run by reeves or bailiffs, and particular canons may have supervised certain work on some granges. Each grange was provided with a set of buildings varying according to the terrain and the dominant form of agriculture.
Later in the Middle Ages the grange economy changed from being a demesne farm directed by lay brothers or bailiffs to being leased. In the early 13th century the Cistercians discouraged leasing and it did not become common until the 14th century, a change accelerated by the Black Death, shortages of labour and falling numbers of lay brothers. Leases after 1450 such as this one reflect the strong bargaining power of the tenants in their length, being particularly long in the midlands.
The granges resembled modern farms in being relatively large –300 to 400 acres – compact blocks of land freed from the restraints of communal farming. They could ignore conventional crop rotation and specialise if they wanted to. Granges were run for efficiency rather than subsistence and were fully integrated into the market and their produce sold.
To learn more about Medieval life in Shropshire, follow the link below to the article 'Aspects of Medieval Life: The Lilleshall Collection' written by Dr. Sylvia Watts and Robert Cromarty.
The transcripts and translations of Medieval deeds in the Lilleshall Collection and the stories written about Medieval life were produced by Dr. Sylvia Watts and Robert Cromarty at Shropshire Archives.