“So bigge as bigge may be”: tracking size and shape change in domestic livestock in London (AD 1220–1900)

• We analyse c. 8000 domestic livestock bone measurements from London (AD 1220–1900).
• Multiple episodes of size increase identified.
• The speed and timing of size change varied by species.
• Early 14th century rise in cattle and sheep size possibly linked to animal plagues.
• Later increases reflect innovation and commercialisation of animal husbandry.

This study presents the analysis of 7966 individual cattle, sheep, pig and domestic hen bone measurements from 105 sites excavated in London dating to the period AD 1220–1900. Multiple episodes of size change are identified, although the speed and timing varies by species. The earliest evidence for size change in cattle and sheep occurs in the early 14th century and may be connected to the need to restock livestock populations following the outbreaks of murrain in the first half of that century. Subsequent size increases in livestock size may have occurred as a combined consequence of agricultural innovations in the wake of the Black Death, the increasing commercialisation of animal farming, as the meat requirements of an expanding London grew, and the rise of the ethic of improvement.