The Wandering Herd. The medieval cattle economy of South East England c. 450–1450

Abstract

and observations. Monasteries are taken as the driving force in building these watercourses. Whether they were the only ones is less easy to determine. The few explicit sources tend to emphasise ecclesiastical agency and interests, and some watercourses fit plausibly into the landscapes of communication and distribution of goods around major monasteries; others are less obviously tied to monastic initiative, and the possibility should be entertained that they represent a wider range of agencies, potentially several collaborating together. This important book invites other historians and archaeologists to revisit a remarkable set of interventions in a remarkable region.