dAf 20
BECK Patrice
Une ferme seigneuriale au XIVe siècle
La grange du Mont (Charny, Côte-d'Or)
Settled at the end of the XlIlth century on an unexploited land of the seignory of Mont-Saint-Jean, in Auxois, the « grange du Mont » was abandoned a hundred years later; it did not resist to the demographic and economic recession at the end of the XlVth century, although it had been built to farm a large territory in a permanent way, as shown by the size and the quality of the structures. The archaeological excavation, the study of the archives and the ethnographic research, associated in an exemplary way, have led to the reconstitution of the structure and aims of such an agro-pastoral settlement in the Middle Age conception. This study brings new informations about a type of farming settlement poorly known until now, the « grangen », as well as about the artefacts and architecture of the rural settlements in mediaeval Burgundy.
Abstract
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
The site, which was discovered by chance, is located on the outer limits of the territories of Mont-Saint-Jean and Charny, in the Monts d'Auxois region. The presence of buildings was detectable at ground level and aerial photography provided a clear picture of their lay-out. Four major buildings could be seen, clustered around a courtyard, as well as several other structures including two enclosures and a large oval earthwork. Surface finds suggested a late-medieval date for occupation, and archival sources indicated that during this period the area was worked by the « grange du Mont ».a domanial farming settlement tied to the seignory of Mont-Saint-Jean. Excavation over five years from 1980 to 1984 examined all of the structures described above, and produced a large number of interesting and varied finds. As a result, a great deal of new information has been acquired concerning this type of isolated rural settlement which was particularly common in Burgundy, as elsewhere, from the 12th century.
WRITTEN SOURCES
The « grange du Mont» is only mentioned between 1330 and 1462, the primary source being the « aveux et dénombrements » (manorial records) of the seignory of Mont-Saint-Jean. In later times the place name is mentioned as being a wood. It is likely that the settlement was already abandoned in the 15th century or even at the end of the 14th century ; no mention is made of it in any other contemporary document. The settlement appears to have been a late colonisation of inhospitable border lands covered by woods and copses. It had no doubt become necessary to increase the yield from seigneurial lands at a time when properties, which had initially been vast, had seriously diminished through the repeated awarding of land-rights to vassals. A favourable demographic situation at the end of the 13th century made it both possible and necessary to work land which had previously Iain fallow.
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
The stratigraphy and structures
The « grange du Mont » overlies no earlier settlement and appears to have had only one occupation phase. The earthwork, which comprised a shallow dry ditch and an unimposing rampart, was intended more to mark the limits of the settlement than to defend it. 4,000 sq. meters of enclosures were laid out, and over 1,100 sq. meters of farm buildings were constructed in order to store crops, house livestock and protect implements. The size of the domestic structures is equally impressive : the farm-house covered approximately 120 sq. meters and the bread-oven was 2.40 m in diameter. These constructions were built from materials found naturally on the site (stone, earth and wood) and attention was clearly paid to building quality. Apertures were dressed using worked stone, while mature timber was used in the pile-built structures. The clearly considerable technological and financial investment involved reflects the means and ambitions of the controlling power. The only significant failing would seem to be that no water supply was provided on the site; the nearest known source is 500 m away. Although this problem was no doubt overcome, it may explain in part the desertion of the site at an early date.
The pottery
The pottery found on the site is highly fragmented and present in relatively small quantities, but it may be noted that ail forms are those of domestic vessels. Coarse-ware pottery for storage or cooking (large jars and waisted pots with or without spouts or handles) is present in far greater numbers than decorated tableware such as jugs, pégaus and bowls, while narrow-mouthed vessels are more common than wide-mouthed forms. The technological and morphological characteristics of the pottery are typical of the 14th century.
The artefacts other than pottery
The artefacts other than pottery comprise over than one hundred identified objects, for the most part made of mataI. Their identification has provided a detailed picture of the domestic and agricultural activities of the people who settled the grange. Many metal objects are related to building activities, while a wide variety of knives and parts of vessels suggest kitchen equipment or table-ware. Clothing ornamentation, in particular buckles and belt studs, is well represented and typical of 14th century styles. Two arrow-heads and a hook indicate hunting and fishing, whilst a sickle and two pruning knives point to the cultivation of cereals and vines. A small bell and two bell-clappers as well as numerous horse-shoes and nails relate to the keeping of livestock.
The coins
The coins, seven in number, were mostly minted in Dijon and belong to issues which date from the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century.
The animal bones
The animal bones, which include several wild species, are primarily from livestock. Pigs, cattle and sheep are represented but sheep are dominant and comprise more than 60 % of the bone remains. A study of the animal's age at slaughter shows that they were reared for their wool. Although this specialisation was no doubt imposed by the natural environment, it is probably also related to the Burgundian wool-trade which flourished during the 14th century.
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Description of granges
The documentary evidence which has survived for some granges in the region is extremely rich. Detailed inventories exist for the settlements at Tontenant and Tarsul, which were tied to the abbey at Cîteaux. In the case of two granges, the « grange Noire» and Dragny, which were both tied to the abbey of Saint-Jean-Ie-Grand at Autun, the annual accounts have survived. These documents have enabled gaps in the archaeological record to be fillied in.
Rural architecture
Fifteen pile-built structures have been located and studied in the area around the site. They demonstrate the continued use of a type of architecture identified in two of the structures excavated at the « grange du Mont », and provide information on the aboveground aspect of these buildings.
CONCLUSION
Although the « grange du Mont » was clearly built to last, it was only occupied for a hundred years. The grange was settled at the end of the 13th century in order to work a large but inhospitable agro-pastoral domain, but was abandoned at the end of the following century. The appearance of the Black Death in 1348 and the events of the Hundred Years War, in particular the passage of the « Grandes Compagnies » around 1350-1360, all bled the country. However, the passing armies seem to have spared the site and no signs of violence have been found. Moreover, those people lost through epidemics would have been replaced by other if the settlement had still seemed viable. Instead the survivors fell back on the better lands left vacant, while Burgundy was abandoned by the wool-trade. The « grange du Mont » was a fragile settlement : its relative newness and its risky location in an unfriendly environment made it an easy victim of the demographic and economic recession at the end of the Middle Ages.
