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In the spring of 1315 there was unusually heavy rain, not only in England but all of northern Europe. It continued through
the summer and temperatures didn’t get as hot as normal. This meant crops couldn’t ripen and food became scarce. Then the price of food began to rise, it almost
doubled in six months from the spring of 1315. But other problems occurred too. There was no straw or hay for animal food. Salt, used to preserve meat, became
scarce because, in those days, salt was produced by leaving sea water to evaporate and with no sun or heat that didn’t happen.
It was said that Edward II couldn’t find any bread when he went
through St Albans. There were massive queues for bread in London with stories of people being trampled to death as some bread went on sale and the queues
stampeded. Everyone was affected but the worst hit were the peasants who probably had no reserves of food stored away.
The wet weather continued all through 1316 and until the summer of 1317. By then thousands of people had died of starvation and many more because
they were weak and the continuous damp weather brought on diseases like bronchitis and tuberculosis. Although the weather then improved it was not until 1322
that the food supply returned to something more like normal. Of course by then there were far fewer people needing to be fed. No one is sure but almost a quarter
of the population may have died.
There was also a vast increase in crime during this period, in many cases simply to feed families, and, once it was over, rulers tended to be tougher
in handing out punishment.
Forward to 1326AD
