History Extra podcast The problem with poo: a millennium of manure
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Nov 19, 2025 Dr. Richard Jones, an Associate Professor of Landscape History at the University of Leicester, explores the fascinating world of manure in medieval and Victorian times. He discusses how critical manure was for agriculture, the distinction between animal and human waste, and the economic implications of dung ownership. Jones reveals surprising attitudes towards excrement, from elite disdain to peasant pragmatism, and reflects on the evolution of sewage management and its modern implications. Listeners will find out why vacuum sewers never gained traction in Britain!
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Manure As The Economic Backbone
- Manure underpinned the medieval economy because agriculture depended on maintaining soil fertility.
- Dr Richard Jones argues that without manure medieval crop yields and livestock systems would fail.
Sources Show Continuous Manuring
- Written sources like Walter of Henley's Husbandry and manorial records document manuring practices.
- Archaeology, including fieldwalking pottery, corroborates when and where fields were manured.
Lords Harvested Villagers' Manure
- Lords captured village animals on their demesne fields to secure the fertilising manure for themselves.
- Peasants still collected manure from their own animals and guarded that resource closely.
