Domesticated pigs (Sus scrufa) were an integrated component of medieval food production in both city and countryside. This chapter examines strategies for managing pigs in a sustainable fashion in the Middle Ages, with a focus on England and neighbouring Normandy. The chapter argues that limitations were placed on where, when, and how many swine were allowed in rural and urban settings, demonstrating a keen interest in maintaining the sustainability of the environment and pig keeping as a practice.
Dolly Jørgensen. “Controlling Pigs in Countryside and City for Sustainable Medieval Agriculture.” In Conservation’s Roots: Managing for Sustainability in Preindustrial Europe, 1100-1800, ed. Abigail Dowling and Richard Keyser, 31-49 (Berghahn Books, 2020)