Life in Medieval Portslade: Farming, Fairs, and Feudalism

Introduction

Medieval Portslade, prior to the transformative shifts of the Industrial Revolution, was a quintessential Sussex village, its rhythms dictated by the seasons, the land, and the enduring structures of feudal society. Far from being a static entity, it was a dynamic community grappling with the same challenges and opportunities as much of rural England – a place where daily life was a blend of toil, tradition, and occasional celebration. This exploration delves deeper into the economic backbone of the village, the social fabric that bound its inhabitants, and the unique significance of the annual fair, often overlooked in broader historical narratives.

Economy Based on Sheep-Corn Husbandry: The Dual Pillars of Prosperity

The agricultural system of medieval Portslade, like much of the downland and coastal plain of Sussex, was primarily defined by sheep-corn husbandry. This highly integrated and efficient farming model was crucial for the village's sustenance and economic viability.

The Interplay of Sheep and Arable

Arable Farming (Corn): The chalky soils of the South Downs and the fertile coastal strip were ideal for growing cereals, predominantly wheat, barley, and oats. Wheat was the most valuable crop, destined for bread, while barley was used for brewing ale – a staple drink in an era when water quality was often poor. Oats served as animal feed and, for the poorer inhabitants, a cheaper grain for porridge.

Open Field System: Evidence suggests Portslade would have operated under some form of open-field system, common in medieval England.1 This involved large fields divided into strips, cultivated by different tenants. The communal organization of ploughing, sowing, and harvesting would have been central to village life.
Crop Rotation: To maintain soil fertility, a system of crop rotation, likely the two-field or three-field system (e.g., winter crop, spring crop, fallow), would have been practiced. The fallow field was crucial for replenishing nutrients and grazing animals.

Sheep Farming: Sheep were not merely a secondary enterprise but an integral part of the system.

Fertilisation: The primary role of sheep was "folding" – being penned on arable land overnight to deposit their manure, thereby naturally fertilising the fields for the next season's crops. This was a sophisticated and sustainable method of maintaining soil health.
Wool Production: Wool was England's "golden fleece" in the medieval period, a highly valuable commodity. While Portslade was not a major wool-exporting port like Shoreham, the wool produced by its flocks would have contributed to the lord's income and provided some surplus for local trade or sale at markets. The quality of downland wool was generally good.
Meat and Dairy: Sheep also provided meat (mutton and lamb) for consumption and, less commonly than cows, milk for cheese.
Skins: Sheepskins were used for parchment, clothing, and other leather goods.

Labour and Land Tenure

The operation of this system depended on the labour of the villagers, primarily villeins and cotters, who held their land from the lord of the manor in exchange for service and rents.

Villeins: Bound to the land, they worked the lord's demesne (personal land) and their own strips in the common fields. Their labour was essential for ploughing, sowing, harvesting, and maintaining the manorial infrastructure.
Cotters: Held smaller plots and typically provided labour services for fewer days a week, often supplementing their income through crafts or by working for wealthier neighbours.
Free Tenants: A smaller proportion of the population might have been free tenants, holding land by cash rent and owing no labour service, offering more independence.

Manorial records (manorial court rolls, extents, custumals) – if any specific to Portslade have survived and are yet to be thoroughly digitised or transcribed – would provide granular detail on rents, services owed, crop yields, and livestock numbers, painting a more precise picture of the village's agricultural economy.

The Annual Fair Granted by King Edward II in 1312: A Moment of Commerce and Carnival

One of the most significant, yet often under-researched, aspects of medieval Portslade's history is the granting of its annual fair.2 This royal charter elevated the village beyond a mere agricultural settlement, marking it as a local hub of commerce and community gathering.

The Royal Grant and Its Significance

On July 28, 1312, King Edward II, in the fifth year of his reign, granted a charter for a weekly market every Tuesday and an annual fair in Portslade to William de Braose (Breouse), Lord of the Manor of Portslade. This was a substantial privilege.

The Market: The Tuesday market would have provided a regular opportunity for local exchange of goods, essential for villagers to sell small surpluses and acquire necessities.
The Fair: More impactful was the annual fair, scheduled for three days around the feast of St Laurence (August 10th). This timing was strategic, occurring after the main harvest of early summer crops, allowing for the sale of agricultural produce, livestock, and manufactured goods.

Economic Impact: Fairs were crucial economic events. Merchants and traders from surrounding areas, and sometimes further afield, would converge on Portslade. This brought in diverse goods not available locally – spices, finer cloths, tools, pottery, and perhaps even luxury items for the manor house. It also provided a larger market for Portslade's own produce, particularly wool, grains, and possibly even fish from the nearby coast or River Adur. The lord of the manor derived significant income from tolls levied on stalls and transactions.
Social and Cultural Impact: Beyond commerce, fairs were vibrant social occasions. They broke the monotony of rural life, offering entertainment, news, and opportunities for social interaction.3

Entertainment: Expect jongleurs, musicians, storytellers, and perhaps even early forms of theatre.
News and Gossip: People would meet relatives and friends from neighbouring villages, exchanging news and gossip.
Court of Piepowders: To ensure fair dealing and resolve disputes swiftly, a special court known as the "Court of Piepowders" (from Old French pieds poudreux, meaning "dusty feet," referring to the itinerant merchants) would have been held. While no specific records for Portslade's fair court survive, its existence was implied by the charter. This informal court dealt with minor commercial disputes and breaches of market regulations on the spot.

Research Gaps and Potential Avenues

While the charter's existence is known, detailed records of the Portslade fair itself are scarce.

Manorial Accounts: Searching surviving manorial accounts for William de Braose's estates (if extant in national or local archives) might reveal specific entries relating to fair tolls or expenses, offering a glimpse into its economic performance.
Local Legends/Folklore: Are there any local legends or place-names in Portslade that hint at the fair's location or its lasting impact? This is harder to trace but could reveal surprising insights.
Comparison with Other Sussex Fairs: Examining the characteristics of other medieval Sussex fairs (e.g., at Lewes, Bramber, Shoreham) could provide comparative insights into the likely scale and activities at Portslade. For example, did it specialise in certain goods, given its agricultural base and coastal proximity?

The fair’s decline would have likely mirrored the broader trend of medieval fairs losing prominence with the rise of permanent shops and better transport infrastructure in later centuries. Its initial establishment, however, marked Portslade as a place of some consequence.

Social Structures and Daily Life in the Village: A World Defined by Hierarchy and Community.

Life in medieval Portslade was inextricably linked to the feudal system, a hierarchical structure that dictated almost every aspect of existence, from land ownership to legal rights.

The Feudal Pyramid and Manorial System

The Lord of the Manor: At the apex was William de Braose and his successors. The lord owned the land, held the manorial court, and commanded the labour and loyalty of his tenants. His presence, whether directly or through a bailiff, was felt throughout the village. The Portslade Old Manor House (though largely rebuilt, its origins are Norman) would have been the administrative and social hub of the estate.4
The Parish Church: St Nicolas Church, dating from around 1170, was the spiritual and often social heart of the community.5 The priest, appointed by the lord or a patron, ministered to the souls of the villagers, and the church building served for worship, meetings, and even as a temporary refuge. Tithes (a tenth of produce) were paid to the church, further reinforcing its economic role. Burials would have taken place in the churchyard, linking generations of Portslade residents to the land.
Village Hierarchy:

Villeins (bond tenants): The majority of the population, holding land in return for labour services, payments in kind (e.g., eggs, chickens), and money rents. They were subject to the lord's justice in the manorial court.
Cotters (cottagers): With smaller holdings, often just a cottage and garden, they supplemented their income with crafts or by working for wealthier villagers or the lord.
Free Tenants: A smaller, more independent group who paid fixed rents and owed no labour services, enjoying greater legal freedoms.
Servants: Labourers who worked for the lord or wealthier villagers for wages or board.Daily Rhythms and Challenges

Work: Life was arduous. Days were long and dictated by agricultural seasons. Ploughing, sowing, weeding, harvesting, milling, and tending livestock were the primary occupations. Women played a crucial role in domestic work, caring for children, gardening, brewing, spinning, and often assisting with fieldwork during peak seasons.
Food and Diet: The diet was largely cereal-based, supplemented by vegetables, pulses, and occasionally meat or fish. Ale was a fundamental part of the diet, consumed daily by adults and children alike. Food scarcity was a constant threat, and harvests failures could lead to famine.
Housing: Villagers lived in simple, timber-framed houses, often wattle-and-daub, with thatched roofs. They were typically one or two rooms, shared with animals for warmth, and lacked chimneys in earlier periods.

Health and Disease: Life expectancy was low, and infant mortality high. Disease (such as dysentery, smallpox, and later, the Black Death) was rampant.6 Medical care was rudimentary, relying on herbal remedies and folk practices.
Law and Order: Minor disputes, land tenure issues, and petty crimes were handled in the manorial court, presided over by the lord's steward. These courts were vital for regulating village life, enforcing customs, and resolving conflicts. Major crimes (felonies) were handled by the King's courts.

Underexplored Aspects of Social Life:

Women's Roles and Status: While often invisible in broad narratives, women were central to the household economy and sometimes held small plots of land in their own right, especially widows. Were there any female heads of households in Portslade, or any notable women mentioned in potential records?
Childhood and Education: What was childhood like in Portslade? Beyond rudimentary religious instruction from the priest, formal education would have been rare for most villagers. Did any children from wealthier families receive schooling?
Local Customs and Traditions: Beyond the fair, were there any specific local customs, festivals, or superstitions unique to Portslade that might have been passed down through generations, even if only anecdotally? This is perhaps the most challenging area to research without direct folklore records, but comparing to similar Sussex villages might offer clues.
Migration and Mobility: While seemingly static, medieval populations did move. Were there instances of villagers leaving Portslade for towns, or new families arriving? Manorial court records can sometimes show such movements.

Conclusion

Medieval Portslade was a community shaped by its fertile lands, its proximity to the coast, and the overarching feudal system. The rhythms of sheep-corn husbandry dictated the daily grind, while the annual fair offered a vital economic and social reprieve. While much remains to be fully uncovered due to the scarcity of specific, granular records for such a small community, a deeper dive into manorial archives, comparative studies with neighbouring Sussex villages, and the meticulous reconstruction of daily life offers a richer understanding of this foundational period in Portslade's long history. The echoes of these medieval patterns of life and land use can still be perceived in the topography and the names of the "Old Village" today.

Additional information

Domesday Book (1086): The Domesday Book, the earliest comprehensive documentary evidence for Portslade ("Porteslamhe"), states that Oswald and Albert each held half a hide in Portslade before 1066. After the Norman Conquest, it was under the tenancy of William of Warenne, with a value of six shillings. This indicates that William of Warenne was a significant landholder in Portslade shortly after the Conquest.

13th Century:

Hubert de Burgh (c. 1170 – 1243): He was a very prominent figure and Lord of the Manor of Portslade from around 1217-1226. The manor later passed to his daughter, Margaret de Burgh (1226-1241), and then to his son, John de Burgh (1241-1246).
John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey: In 1312, John de Warenne, Lord of the Manor, was granted a charter by King Edward II to hold an annual Fair at Portslade. This confirms a Warenne connection to the lordship of the manor in the early 14th century.

15th Century:

Richard West: In 1450, Richard West was Lord of Portslade Manor, followed by his son, Thomas West, Lord de la Warr, who became Lord of Portslade Manor after his father's death in 1476.

16th/17th Century:

The Snelling family appear to have owned and occupied Portslade Manor around 1600, with Sir George Snelling succeeding his father as lord.

19th Century:

John Borrer: By 1841, John Borrer was recorded as the Lord of Portslade Manor.

Regarding William de Braose:

While William de Braose was a powerful Norman lord, particularly associated with Bramber Castle and the Rape of Bramber (a large administrative division of Sussex), and may have had overall feudal overlordship in the area, the specific direct Lord of the Manor of Portslade appears to have been held by other individuals and families over time, as indicated by the sources above.

One source does mention William de Braose in the context of shipwrecked goods: "The commissioners' judgement was that all wrecks of the sea throughout the whole of the Rape belonged to de Braose." This highlights his significant power and landholding in the wider region (the Rape of Bramber, which Portslade would have been part of), but doesn't necessarily mean he was the direct Lord of the Manor of Portslade itself for all periods, especially as other specific lords are named for Portslade in different centuries. The "Lord of the Manor" could refer to the immediate tenant-in-chief or a sub-tenant, and manorial rights often changed hands or were subdivided over centuries.

Conclusion:

It seems your source is likely correct in questioning William de Braose as the singular "Lord of the Manor" for Portslade at its "apex" throughout its history. While he was undoubtedly a significant feudal figure in Sussex and the broader region that included Portslade, the direct lordship of Portslade Manor itself appears to have been held by a succession of different families and individuals, including the Warennes, de Burghs, Wests, Snellings, and Borrers, at various times.

It's important to differentiate between the overarching feudal lord of a large area (like a Rape) and the direct Lord of a specific manor. The de Braose family certainly held extensive power in Sussex, but they might not have been the direct, continuous Lords of the Manor of Portslade itself.

This highlights the importance of historical detail and how the "Lord of the Manor" title can refer to different levels of landholding and authority within the feudal system.

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Sources

Portslade in the Past

portsladehistory.blogspot.com

Portslade Allotments - 2018 Centenary

Parish of Portslade and Mile Oak

www.portslade-mileoak.org.uk

St Nicolas Church - Parish of Portslade and Mile Oak

The Calendar of Charter Rolls of 1312, now held in London, shows that the Lord of the Manor of Portslade, John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, was granted a ...

Jester Planet

www.jesterplanet.com

Experience the Vibrant World of Medieval Fairs - Jester Planet