The History and Importance of Granges

Local granges serve as a center of rural life in many agricultural communities. People who live outside such communities may be unfamiliar with granges, including what they are.

The most basic definition of a grange is an outlying farm or land with a manor building on the property. When first developed in 12th century Britain, granges were properties that may have been owned by a lord, who chose to live on the property or leased it to others. Other granges were held by the church, mainly by monasteries.

The grange definition and system was modified when the concept was brought to North America...