medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: Phil Feller <[log in to unmask]>
> Meeting the caloric and protein needs of an active adult male requires
approximately 3 pounds of bread per day.
and of an only partially active/presumably partially contemplative adult male?
> Before you calculate that there were 20-25 monks, though, I think that
you need additional information. What do we know about the 6 tummini of
flour that was received each month? Presumably the monks would also have
consumed porridge (and beer?) as part of their normal diet, and at least
some of the grain would have been used in its production.
my apologies to Paul Chandler, whom i previously accused of comming up with
this creative new way to brew beer from flour.
>Was it also used to bake the bread that the monks received? What else did
this monastery typically consume? Cheese, eggs, fish, and vegetables would
all be common monastic fare.
every decent monastery surely had a jardin potager within its precinct, and
records of what came out of those "domestic" sources would be quite scarce, i
should imagine.
btw, i don't think i've ever seen a (pre-13th c.) charter which speaks of
"flour" --only grain (wheat or oats).
rents and tithes which were paid in grain (there were other payments due, as
well: pigs, sheep, lambs, geese, chickens, wood, wool, etc.), were usually
collected in the tithe barns and [sometimes fortified] farmsteads of the
motherhouse in the _villa_ belonging to the saint.
Suger's detailed administrative account of his "restoration" of the properties
belonging to St. Denis in the Beauce and elsewhere is illuminating on this
(and other) point(s):
http://ariadne.org/cc/sources/suger1.html
> The best that you might be able to do with this information is to
estimate a lower bound of 20 monks.
my thought exactly.
a kind of terminus minimus.
c
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|