The Coppice
Coppicing Is a method of producing wooden poles on a renewable basis. Coppiced trees can live for a thousand years or more. The tree is cut a few inches above the ground, which encourages more shoots from around ground level. Our trees are short pollards, a coppice on a stick. Pollarded trees are usually found along riverbanks or road sides for shade. Having a trunk of about six foot or so prevents grazing animals destroying the new shoots. There were deer, munjac and rabbits coming to the gardens and they would have eaten our trees. The sheep certainly do.
The main reason that a medieval manor would need wood was for wood was for the fires used for cooking, brewing and metal working. Cooking required open fires for boiling and spit roasting and to heat the ovens. Faggots, bundles of trimmings would be made of bundles of waste wood and stored. We burned faggots on the manor fire and were pleased with the amount of heat that they produced.
Different types of wood were used for different purposes.
Ash was used for the best quality arrows and low quality bows.
Hazel was used for wattle fencing and the wattle in-fill of buildings that the daub would be applied to. Hazel can also be used for baskets.
Willow was used for baskets and the thin withies were used to tie climbing plants to their supports, a method that is still used in Italy today.
Because of its water resistant properties, Alder was used to make pattens. These were like a clog and were worn to protect the soles of thin soled shoes and the feet of the person wearing them.
During the reign of Henry VIII there was a shortage of good quality Ash wood for arrows, so alder was used as an alternative. A law was passed that stated only arrow makers could use alder. The patten makers complained and were eventually allowed to use the wood that was not suitable for making arrows.
Crescenzi recommended growing alder poles to support your vines.
Coppicing Is a method of producing wooden poles on a renewable basis. Coppiced trees can live for a thousand years or more. The tree is cut a few inches above the ground, which encourages more shoots from around ground level. Our trees are short pollards, a coppice on a stick. Pollarded trees are usually found along riverbanks or road sides for shade. Having a trunk of about six foot or so prevents grazing animals destroying the new shoots. There were deer, munjac and rabbits coming to the gardens and they would have eaten our trees. The sheep certainly do.
The main reason that a medieval manor would need wood was for wood was for the fires used for cooking, brewing and metal working. Cooking required open fires for boiling and spit roasting and to heat the ovens. Faggots, bundles of trimmings would be made of bundles of waste wood and stored. We burned faggots on the manor fire and were pleased with the amount of heat that they produced.
Different types of wood were used for different purposes.
Ash was used for the best quality arrows and low quality bows.
Hazel was used for wattle fencing and the wattle in-fill of buildings that the daub would be applied to. Hazel can also be used for baskets.
Willow was used for baskets and the thin withies were used to tie climbing plants to their supports, a method that is still used in Italy today.
Because of its water resistant properties, Alder was used to make pattens. These were like a clog and were worn to protect the soles of thin soled shoes and the feet of the person wearing them.
During the reign of Henry VIII there was a shortage of good quality Ash wood for arrows, so alder was used as an alternative. A law was passed that stated only arrow makers could use alder. The patten makers complained and were eventually allowed to use the wood that was not suitable for making arrows.
Crescenzi recommended growing alder poles to support your vines.