Hay yields circa 1600
Posted: 14 Apr 2019, 11:17
I am looking into the history of a farm building in mid Suffolk which is listed as a threshing barn of 1600-1650. I have good reason to believe that it was a haybarn in origin. The structure of the barn has been much modified over the centuries, so there are no obvious physical clues now visible as to any previous use. I'm wondering if I can tie the barn's capacity to the expected yield of hay from the (large - 27 acres) meadow in which it stands. However, I can find no consistent figures for hay yield around 1600-1650, or for the density (cubic metres per ton) of loose stacked hay. Can anyone help, please?