Re: Heortling Social Structure

From: donald_at_K8ccnx9mR3aZN8P2bjJ1l8qCdU6eD7WhTXJCN351M91Dop135iA4TpanE3i2-QIQUZay6
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:29:44 GMT


In message <f13f19+2mj2_at_eGroups.com> "Toread DuDerysi" writes:
>>
>> Why assume cottars don't have cattle? They don't have enough to
>> provide a full ox team but that's going to require a herd of at
>> least twenty, possibly thirty. Then there are sheep, pigs and
>> other livestock. Probably the definition of a stickpicker is
>> someone who has no livestock at all.
>
>I think the actual legal definition of a cotter is someone who doesn't
>have any cattle. Someone who does is a carl. Someone with a team is
>doing very well for a carl.

Not according to TR pg 40. To qualify as a full carl "... a man must have a plough and a full team of eight oxen." It also says they need 42 cows including the oxen to support this. Given that a half carl usually has 21 cows anyone with much less than that will be a cottar.

Of course it doesn't follow that all cottars will have cows, I suspect the majority don't but even one milk cow is worth having from a practical point of view.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/

           

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