The period just before Boroughbridge - in reference to Belchamp Walter
England in these years saw the end of the Scottish Campaigns of Edward II and the activies of Hugh Despenser the younger.
The Battle of Boroughbridge 1322 - the end of the Despenser War
The fact that there was a famine across Europe at this time did not stop/deter the conflict between
Great Famine of 1315–1317
The Famine of 1315 occured in the early 14th century. At this time England had been at war with Scotland, firstly under Edward I and then his successor Edward II.
In so far as the plight of the residents of what we now know as Belchamp Walter and region there is little recorded, but as a largly agricultural region the residents would not have faired well. The Feudal lords of the area may have faired better as Esat Anglia was, and still is, known for lower rainfall. It was the poor weather that was the main cause for the shortage of food.
Wikipedia
The Wikipedia page (accessed Jan 2026) gives a good background to the causes of the famine and compares it with other famines and what was happening accross Europe at the time.
The Great Famine of 1315–1317 (occasionally dated 1315–1322) was the first of a series of large-scale crises that struck parts of Europe early in the 14th century. Most of Europe (extending east to Poland and south to the Alps) was affected.[1] The famine caused many deaths over an extended number of years and marked a clear end to the period of growth and prosperity from the 11th to the 13th centuries.[2]
The Great Famine started with bad weather in spring 1315. Crop failures lasted through 1316 until the summer harvest in 1317, and Europe did not fully recover until 1322. Crop failures were not the only problem; cattle disease caused sheep and cattle numbers to fall as much as 80 per cent. The period was marked by extreme levels of crime, disease, mass death, and even cannibalism and infanticide. The crisis had consequences for the Church, state, European society, and for future calamities to follow in the 14th century.
Top
