Where Men No More May Reap or Sow

REVIEW BY SOPHIA CHAPPLE

In Where Men No More May Reap or Sow, Richard Oram analyses five centuries of Scottish environmental history across 13 chapters. This project initially sought to cover the early medieval period up until COP26, recently held in Glasgow, in a single volume. Given the scope of the research, it has grown to span three volumes. Where Men No More May Reap or Sow is the second, bridging medieval to modern times, covering AD 1400 to 1850.

Oram takes an interdisciplinary approach to re-evaluate Scotland’s Early Modern history, in order to build a more robust understanding of the population and their relationship with their environment. By utilising historical documentation, palaeoarchaeological climate proxies, and environmental science in conjunction, Oram paints a clear and convincing picture of the socioeconomic and ecological changes that occurred during this time.

The Little Ice Age saw an increase in cold, wet, and stormy weather, and in examining some of the most intense periods of climatic fluctuation, the author makes every effort to highlight nuances that are often overlooked in other works. One example that Oram recognises is that the western seaboard and the eastern coasts of Scotland are affected differently by these climatic fluctuations, given their different circulation patterns. In turn, the ecological and socioeconomic reactions to these changes are highly regional in nature. Placing history within its environmental context gives much more perspective to the inner workings of Scottish society, which Oram highlights not just at the national political level, but also at the grassroots and individual level. He emphasises reactionary versus opportunistic responses to the changing weather of the Little Ice Age by examining violence, litigation, parliamentary action, and competition for productive land.