Social History

General

The Story of Medieval Britain Told in Pictures

Airne, C W

Booklet

Published: 1966

Over 500 line drawings.

The Pulpit with the Four Doctors at St. James’s, Castle Acre, Norfolk

Alexander, Jonathan

From: England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1992 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. N. Rogers

Published: 1994

On the significance of images of the Four Doctors of the Church – Sts. Augustine, Gregory, Jerome and Ambrose – on the pulpit in the medieval church of St. James. Black-and-white photographs are included.

The Court Festivals of Henry VII

Anglo, Sydney

From: Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, Vol. 43, No. 1

Published: September 1960

Discusses and lists payments relating to court entertainments from 1491 to 1509.

Testamentary Procedure with Special Reference to the Executrix

Archer, Rowena E

From: Reading Medieval Studies, Vol. 15

Published: 1989

The legal and practical realities of late-medieval estate administration are examined through records relating to executrices.

Some Examples of the Distribution and Speed of News in England at the Time of the Wars of the Roses

Armstrong, C A J

From: Studies in Medieval History Presented to F. M. Powicke, ed. R. W. Hunt et al.

Published: 1948

On the collection, transmission and dissemination of news, with examples of how the long news of certain events took to reach their destinations.

The Language Question in the Low Countries: The Use of French and Dutch by the Dukes of Burgundy and their Administration

Armstrong, C A J

From: England, France and Burgundy in the Fifteenth Century, pp. 189-212

Published: 1983

Article originally published in Europe in the Late Middle Ages, ed. J. R. Hale, J. R. L. Highfield & B. Smalley (Faber, London, 1965). A study of the manner in which the originally purely francophone administration of the dukes of Burgundy in the Low Countries gradually evolved in recognition of the need for a degree of bilingualism.

Beggerly Bretons and Faynte-Harted Frenchmen: Age and Class Specific Mortality during London’s Sweating Sickness of 1485’

Attreed, Lorraine

From: Richard III, Crown and People, ed. J. Petre

Published: 1985

Revised version of article published in The Ricardian, Vol 4, No. 59, December 1977. Discusses how the sweating sickness killed, and offers suggestsions as to what it was and where it came from.

From ‘Pearl’ Maiden to Tower Princes: Towards a New History of Medieval Childhood

Attreed, Lorraine

From: Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 9

Published: 1983

Suggests that medieval society placed a high value on the lives of children and that Richard III earned opprobrium for his supposed treatment of his nephews.

Urban Identity in Medieval English Towns

Attreed, Lorraine

From: Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 571-592

Published: Spring 2002

An exploration of the ways in which towns defined physical and juridical space through law suits; based on studies of Exeter, Shrewsbury, Norwich and York.

Barnard Castle, County Durham: Second Interim Report – Excavation in the Inner Ward 1976-1978 – the Later Medieval Period

Austin, David

From: Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Vol. 133

Published: 1980

Includes an appendix entitled ‘A Dinner in the Great Hall: report on the contents of a 15th century drain’.

Trade and Towns in Medieval England: New Insights from Familiar Sources

Bailey, Mark

From: The Local Historian, Vol. 29, No. 4

Published: November 1999

An exploration of the growth of the commercial sector of the medieval economy based largely on manorial records. Attached are 35 unattributed sheets of supporting information relating to various medieval towns.

Note: This is an edited version of the 1999 Phillimore Lecture.

The Fashionable Sex, 1100-1600

Banner, Louise

From: History Today, Vol. 42

Published: April 1992

Illustrates how during the Middle Ages it was young men, rather than young women, who wore the most flamboyant and sexually revealing fashions.

The ‘Golden Age’ of Women in Medieval London

Barron, Caroline M

From: Reading Medieval Studies, Vol. 15

Published: 1989

Why the city of London was a good place for a woman to live in the later Middle Ages.

Conviviality and Charity in Medieval and Early Modern England

Bennet, Judith M

From: Past & Present, No. 134

Published: February 1992

Examines the combined charitable and sociable functions of the help-ale.

A Day With … Edric, a New Forester

Bennet, Rosemary

From: Medieval History Magazine, Issue 12

Published: August 2004

A day in the life of a New Forest commoner. Set in the early Norman period but holds true for later centuries as well.

Careerism in Late Medieval England

Bennett, Michael

From: People, Politics & Community in the Later Middle Ages, ed. J. Rosenthal & C. Richmond

Published: 1987

A sketch of ‘careerism’ in the period based on a study of the ‘dynamic interrelation’ between the country’s high levels of political and economic integration and social fluidity.

Childbirth in the Middle Ages

Biller, Peter

From: History Today, Vol. 36

Published: August 1986

Survey of some of the available evidence on midwives, obstetrics, hospitals and the attitude of the Church (mainly 1200-1400).

Courtly and Christmas Feasting

Black, Maggie

Typescript with information from The Medieval Cookbook (1st publication 1996) compiled by Rebekah Beale

Compiled: 1 October 2005

Just over a page on the celebration of the Christmas period at court, plus five recipes.

Food and Cooking in Medieval Britain: History and Recipes

Black, Maggie

Booklet

Published: 1985

Illustrated booklet describing the food people ate and how they prepared and served it; includes recipes.

Two Letters Patent from Hutton John near Penrith, Cumberland

Blair, C H Hunter

From: Archaeologia Aeliana, 4th Series, Vol. 39

Published: 1961

Description of two letters to Thomas Hutton showing ‘good lordship’, from Warwick the Kingmaker in 1461 and Richard of Gloucester in 1475.

How Sir Thomas Rempston Paid His Ransom: or, The Mistakes of an Italian Bank

Bolton, J L

From: The Fifteenth Century, Vol. 7, ed. Linda Clark

Published: 2007

Rempston, an English captain captured by the French in 1429, serves as an example of the challenges such men faced in raising a ransom and securing their release.

English Provincial Towns in the Later Middle Ages

Bridbury, A R

From: Economic History Review, 2nd Series, Vol. 34, No. 1

Published: February 1981

Suggests that the theory of medieval urban decline is based on boroughs’ own descriptions of their poverty and decay, which were deliberately exaggerated to gain them tax reliefs.

The Ecclesiastical Patronage of the Bishops of Winchester, 1282-1530

Brown, Richard

From: Southern History, Vol. 24, pp. 27-44

Published: 2002

How appointment to church livings was used by the bishops as a form of patronage.

‘Entumbid Right Princely’: The Re-interment of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and a Lost Rite

Buckle, Alexandra

From: The Yorkist Age: Proceedings of the 2011 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. H. Kleineke & C. Steer

Published: 2013

Discussion of a seventeenth-century copy, discovered among the Harleian manuscripts at the British Library, of the religious rites used for the reinterment of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in 1475 on the completion of his chantry chapel in St. Mary’s church in Warwick.

A Service for the Dead: The Form and Function of the Anniversary in Late Medieval Bristol

Burgess, Clive

From: Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Vol. 105

Published: 1987

Study of annual services of exequies and masses performed for the good of the founder’s soul.

Complaint and Reform in Henry VII’s Reign: The Origins of the Statute of 3 Henry VII, c.2?

Cameron, A

From: BIHR, Vol. 51, No. 123

Published: 1978

On a statute of 1487 against the abduction of women, and its possible origin in the kidnapping and forced marriage of Jane Sacheverell two years earlier.

The English Sweating Sickness (1485-c.1551): A New Perspective on Disease Etiology

Carlson, James R; Hammond, Peter W

From: Journal of the History of Medicine, Vol. 54, pp. 23-54

Published: January 1999

Suggests that the sweating sickness may have been Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).

Dissidents in an Age of Faith? Wyclif and the Lollards

Catto, Jeremy

From: History Today, Vol. 37

Published: November 1487

An analysis of the reasons for the rise of religious dissent in late medieval England.

Burials and Archaeology: A Survey of Attitudes to Research

Celoria, Francis

From: Folklore, Vol. 77, pp. 161-183

Published: Autumn 2003

A study of attitudes towards disturbing the dead based on the conduct of, and public reaction to, archaeological examinations of human remains from the 18th century onwards. The cases discussed include the examinations of the remains of queens Katherine de Valois and Katherine Parr.

The Struggle for Power in Mid-fifteenth-century Devonshire

Cherry, Martin

From: Patronage, the Crown and the Provinces in Later Medieval England, ed. R. A. Griffiths

Published: 1981

An analysis of the process of polarisation that had been developing within the ruling class in Devon in the years leading up to the battle between the forces of the Earl of Devon and Lord Bonville at Clyst in December 1455.

Central Authority and Local Powers: The Apostolic Penitentiary and the English Church in the Fifteenth Century

Clarke, Peter D

From: Historical Research, Vol. 84, No. 225, pp. 416-442

Published: August 2011

A study of the way in which the Penitentiary – the central Vatican office concerned with matters of conscience – handled petitions from individuals in England and Wales through the bishops of their local dioceses. Includes many interesting and lively case studies.

English Royal Marriages and the Papal Penitentiary in the Fifteenth Century

Clarke, Peter D

From: EHR, Vol. 120, No. 488, pp. 1014-1029

Published: September 2005

Discussion of dispensations discovered in the registers of the Papal Penitentiary for the marriages of Margaret of York to Charles of Burgundy, Anne Neville to Edward of Lancaster and Richard Duke of Gloucester, and Henry Tudor to Elizabeth of York (the last predating by two years the previously known dispensation granted by the papal legate in England just prior to the marriage).

The Treating of Prince Henry’s Arrow Wound, 1403

Cole, Hector; Lang, Tig

From: Journal of the Society of Archer-Antiquaries, Vol. 46

Published: 2003

A study of the successful operation, performed and recorded by the royal surgeon John Bradmore, to remove the arrowhead left embedded in Prince Henry’s skull after the removal of the arrow with which he had been wounded at the Battle of Shrewsbury. Includes the recreation of the extraction tool that Bradmore designed and made especially for the purpose.

From Caitiff and Villain to Pater Patriae: Reynold Bray and the Profits of Office

Condon, Margaret

From: Profit, Piety and the Professions in Pater Medieval England, ed. Michael Hicks.

Published: 1990.

Giving detailed accounts of the development of Bray’s holdings, two themes are developed and discussed. Firstly, that the office and power resulted in visible wealth. Secondly that historians and biographers are restricted by the nature of records and materials.

Positively Medieval

Cooper, Stephen

From: History Today

Published: May 2013

Cooper argues for a positive reassessment of the Late Middle Ages, demonstrating that most of what have been regarded as Tudor, Early Modern or Renaissance innovations were already flourishing in the fifteenth century.

‘Stronger than Men and Braver than Knights’: Women and the Pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome in the Later Middle Ages

Craig, Leigh Ann

From: Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 29, pp. 153-175

Published: 2003

An examination of the strategies used by women to overcome the economic and social barriers they faced in making pilgrimages.

The Tailors of London: Corporate Charity in the Late Medieval Town

Davies, Matthew

From: Crown, Government and People in the Fifteenth Century, ed. Rowena Archer

Published: 1995

A study of the Tailors’ fraternity of St. John the Baptist.

Baronial Accounts, Incomes, and Arrears in the Later Middle Ages

Davies, R R

From: The Economic History Review, Vol. 21, No. 2

Published: August 1968

A discussion of the pitfalls facing historians attempting to make an assessment of baronial incomes from surviving accounts.

Urban Decline in Late Medieval England

Dobson, R B

From: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th Series, Vol. 27

Presented: 6th February 1976

Published: 1977

An overview and discussion of the evidence for the generalised decline of English towns in the later Middle Ages.

Notes and Documents: Bolton Priory and Its Charters

Doherty, H F

From: Northern History, Vol 49, No. 1

Published: March 2012

A study of Dodsworth’s sixteenth-century copy of the lost cartulary of Bolton Priory near Skipton.

Writing English, French and Latin in the Fifteenth Century: A Regional Perspective

Draper, G M

From: The Fifteenth Century, Vol. 7, ed. Linda Clark

Published: 2007

‘This paper explores an interesting example of the use of written English and Latin amongst a group within the lower ranks of society in the mid to later fifteenth century. It sets the example in the wider context of literate practice in a specific locality over the longer term….’ The area under consideration is the Romney Marshes and surrounding Cinque Ports.

Patronage and Promotion in the Late-medieval Church

Dunning, Robert W

From: Patronage, the Crown and the Provinces in Later Medieval England, ed. R. A. Griffiths

Published: 1981

A study of the role of patronage and connection in establishing and furthering a career within the late-medieval church.

How Urban Was Medieval England?

Dyer, Christopher

From: History Today, Vol. 47, No. 1

Published: January 1997

Argues that towns were more important in the Middle Ages than has generally been recognised.

Identity and Belonging: Irish and Welsh in Fifteenth-century Bristol

Fleming, Peter

From: The Fifteenth Century, Vol. 7, ed. Linda Clark

Published: 2007

A study of the Irish and Welsh populations of Bristol and their relations with their English neighbours.

The Lovelace Dispute: Concepts of Property and Inheritance in Fifteenth Century Kent

Fleming, P W

From: Southern History, Vol. 12, pp. 1-18

Published: 1990

Fifteenth-century property law and land tenure as exemplified in the legal records relating to the Lovelace family’s dispute over the ownership of three Kentish manors.

London and Foreign Merchants in the Reign of Henry VI

Flenley, Ralph

From: EHR, Vol. 25, pp. 644-655

Published: October 1910

The author draws on two sources – Bale’s Chronicle (Trinity Coll. E. V. 9) and a briefer London Chronicle (Bodl. Rawlinson MS B 355) – to illustrate how the longstanding challenges faced by foreign merchants escalated in the later years of Henry VI’s reign as the realm descended into disorder and former soldiers of the French War, repatriated and unemployed, vented their frustrations against the foreigners in their own land.

Daniel of Beccles: Urbanus Magnus

Frith, Anne; Smith, Dorothy; Bauers, Anne; Treggiari, Susan (compilers); Ollerenshaw, Nony (illustrator); Sutch, Dom Antony (author of Foreward)

Booklet, 46 pp.

Published: 2007

The Latin poem Urbanus Magnus (‘Great Civilized Man’) by the thirteenth-century merchant Daniel of Beccles was the definitive guide to medieval etiquette, on which most later medieval works of etiquette were based. This booklet, produced by a team from Daniel’s home town of Beccles in Suffolk, gives both the original Latin text and an English translation, and is illustrated with very engaging drawings.

Oxford Carpenters, 1370-1530

Gee, E A

From: Oxoniensia, Vols. 17/18 (1952 and 1953)

Published: 1954

A study of the craft, and the records of carpentry work carried out in Oxford during this period. Includes a list of the carpenters who appear in the record.

Note. For members with Internet access, this paper is freely available online.

Female Labour, Service and Marriage in the Late Medieval Urban North

Goldberg, P J P

From: Northern History, Vol. 22

Published: 1986

Discusses the occupations open to townswomen – domestic service, other trades, marriage, etc..

Girls Growing Up in Later Medieval England

Goldberg, Jeremy

From: History Today, Vol. 45

Published: June 1995

A negative view of the treatment of medieval girls, supported by some contemporary accounts.

Bury St Edmunds & the Populations of Late Medieval English Towns, 1270-1530

Gottfried, Robert S

From: Journal of British Studies, Vol. 20, Part 1, pp. 1-31

Published: 1980

Data from Bury St. Edmunds are used to assess the accuracy of the prevailing view of late-medieval urban decline.

The Investigation of a Medieval Barrel-latrine from Worcester

Greig, James

From: Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol. 8

Published: 1981

Analysis of the contents of the latrine gives insight into diet, living conditions, rubbish disposal, etc..

Seeking the Flesh and Blood of Manorial Families

Hanawalt, Barbara A

From: Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 14, No. 1

Published: March 1988

Glimpses of the daily life of the common people emerging from the detailed records of coroners’ inquests.

Recent Perspectives on Early Modern London

Harding, Vanessa

From: The Historical Journal, Vol. 47, No. 2

Published: 2004

Description of London in the post-Reformation period, particularly as viewed through the writings of John Stow.

Learning to Die in Yorkist England: Earl Rivers’ Cordyal

Harry, David

From: The Yorkist Age: Proceedings of the 2011 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. H. Kleineke & C. Steer

Published: 2013

On the demand for religious works aimed at preparing the reader to meet with death, with special reference to the translation by Anthony, Earl Rivers, of a French version one of the most popular of these, named in the original Latin De Quattuor Novissimorum, in French Les Quattres Choses Dernieres, and in Rivers’ English translation the Cordyal.

Marriage in the Middle Ages: 3 The Paston Women on Marriage in Fifteenth-century England

Haskell, Ann S

From: Viator, No. 4

Published: 1973

Marriage and the role of women as revealed in the Paston Letters.

Economic Aspects of the Wars of the Roses in East Anglia

Haward, Winifred I

From: EHR, Vol. 41, No. 162

Published: April 1926

The economic factors contributing to the Wars.

Herefordshire, 1413-61: Some Aspects of Society and Public Order

Herbert, Ailsa

From: Patronage, the Crown and the Provinces in Later Medieval England, ed. R. A. Griffiths

Published: 1981

A study of crime in Herefordshire during the reigns of Henry V and Henry VI, based on the records of King’s Bench.

Real Men Read Poetry: Instructional Verse in 14th-century Fight Manuals

Hester, James

From: Arms & Armour, Vol. 6, No. 2

Published: 2009

A study of two texts – one in English and one in German – giving instruction in swordplay, and discussion of what they reveal not only about medieval swordsmanship but also about medieval educational methods.

Medieval Market Towns and Simple Commodity Production

Hilton, R H

From: Past & Present, No. 109

Published: November 1985

Seeks to answer the question of whether England was a backward society on the periphery of Europe by looking at the development of smaller and medium-sized market towns rather than the main urban centres.

An English Pilgrim to Compostela

Hogarth, James (trans.)

From: Medieval World, March-April 1992 edition, pp. 15-19

Published: 1992

Translation from the Itineraries of William Wey, fellow of Eton College, of the author’s account of his journey to Compostela in 1456.

A Note on the Medieval Longevity of the Secular Peerage 1350-1500

Hollingsworth, T H

From: Population Studies, Vol. 29, Part 1

Published: 1975

Reviews various estimates of the life expectancy of medieval people.

The Remain Attraction

Hopper, Sarah

From: BBC History Magazine, Vol. 5, No. 3

Published: March 2004

Short article on the medieval cult of holy relics from the author of To Be a Pilgrim: The Medieval Pilgrimage Experience.

Urban Patronage and Patrons in the Fifteenth Century

Horrox, Rosemary

From: Patronage, the Crown and the Provinces in Later Medieval England, ed. R. A. Griffiths

Published: 1981

An examination of the role of patrons and patronage in provincial towns in the fifteenth century.

Seasonal Festivity in Late Medieval England: Some Further Reflections

Hutton, Ronald

From: EHR, Vol. 120, No. 485

Published: February 2005

The author defends his earlier writings in which he had argued that ‘a number of seasonal customs and rites, common in England by the early Tudor period, were not prehistoric or early medieval in origin. . . but had appeared during the later Middle Ages.’

Twelve Medieval Ghost-stories

James, M R

From: EHR, Vol. 37, pp. 413-422

Published: 1922

Brief introduction plus texts of twelve ghost stories from BL Royal MS 15 A xx. In Latin.

The Bringing-up of Children in Good Learning and Manners: A Survey of Secular Educational Provision in the North of England c.1350-1550

Jewell, Helen M

From: Northern History, Vol. 18

Published: 1982

On the foundation and endowment of schools during this period. A list of schools established in the North before 1550 is given in an appendix.

Private Indentures for Life Service in Peace and War 1278-1476

Jones, Michael (ed.); Walker, Simon (ed)

Camden Fifth Series, 3

Published: 1994

Transcripts of a series of indentures whereby nobles retained men for service in peace and war. Indentures for the period of the Wars of the Roses include retainders by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Richard, Duke of York, and the earls of Salisbury, Wiltshire and Northumberland.

Chivalry in Late Fifteenth Century England: A Case Study on Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers and Lord Scales

Kawka, Meghan

Dissertation towards MA in Medieval Studies, University of York

Presented: September 2009

‘Examines the aspects of one man’s life which were viewed by contemporaries and by modern historians as particularly chivalric in nature.’

English Military Experience and the Court of Chivalry: The Case of Grey v. Hastings

Keen, Maurice H

From: Guerre et Société en France, en Angleterre et en Bourgogne, XIVe-XVe siècle, ed. P. Contamine, C. Giry-Deloison and M. Keen

Published: 1992

The author discusses a rare survival from the Court of Chivalry, i.e. the case of 1407-1410 between Lord Grey of Ruthin and Sir Edward Hastings over the right to bear the manche gules (red sleeve) device of the late Hastings earls of Pembroke.

Medieval London and Its Region

Keene, Derek

From: London Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2

Published: 1989

An attempt ‘to convey some idea of the scale of the city, of the degree of its dominance within England, and of the evolving relationship between size, wealth, and commerce on the one hand, and its function as a capital city on the other.’

English Kings and the Fear of Sorcery

Kelly, H A

From: Medieval Studies, Vol. 39

Published: 1977

Discussion of accusations of witchcraft in the fifteenth century, including those relating to Edward IV’s marriage, Clarence’s downfall and Richard III’s withered arm.

Medieval Indebtedness: The Regions versus London

Kermode, J I

From: England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1992 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. N. Rogers

Published: 1994

A study of ‘the complicated world of debt and credit: the financial system which powered medieval trade before the age of banking.’

Money and Credit in the Fifteenth Century: Some Lessons from Yorkshire

Kermode, Jennifer I

From: Business History Review, No. 65

Published: Autumn 1991

Explores some of the methods used to raise credit during a period of decline in overseas trade and an international bullion shortage, and the factors that left Yorkshire merchants vulnerable to growing competition from Londoners.

Urban Decline? The Flight from Office in Late Medieval York

Kermode, Jennifer I

From: Economic History Review, 2nd Series, Vol. 35, No. 2

Published: 1982

Detailed study of the causes and effects of the purchase of exemptions from civic office in fifteenth-century York.

‘The Hangings about the Hall’: An Overview of Textile Wall Hangings in Late Medieval York, 1394-1505

Kightley, Charles

From: Medieval Life, Issue 10, pp. 27-31

Published: Autumn 1998

‘This article attempts to answer some of the questions that author has been asked about wall hangings in late medieval York houses: who owned them? which rooms were they used in? how were they hung? what were they made of? what did they look like? and how much did they cost?’

On Some London Houses of the Early Tudor Period

Kingsford, C L

From: Archaeologia, Vol. LXXI, pp. 17-54

Published: 1921

This article provides detailed information on the chambers and furnishings of four great London houses including Coldharbour and the Erber. In the fifteenth century Coldharbour belonged successively to the Holland dukes of Exeter, Edward IV’s sister Anne, Edward IV, Richard III, the royal heralds and Margaret Beaufort; it was also occupied by Margaret of York during her visit to England in 1480; Kingsford’s information comes from surviving accounts for Margaret Beaufort’s refurbishment of the house in the autumn of 1485. The Erber was a Neville property, owned successively by the first earl of Westmorland, Salisbury, Warwick the Kingmaker, Clarence, Edward Earl of Warwick, Henry VII, Henry VIII and Margaret Countess of Salisbury; Kingsford’s description is based on accounts surviving from the period 1514-24.

Transcripts of the source documents are given in an appendix.

Gentry Households and the Concept of Service in the Later Middle Ages

Kirby, Jane

From: Medieval Life, Issue 9, pp. 25-29

Published: Summer 1998

Argues that in the Middle Ages service, far from being socially demeaning as it later became, was the means by which all ranks claimed their stake, and sought to advance their position, in society.

‘Þe Kynges Cite’: Exeter in the Wars of the Roses

Kleinke, Hannes

From: The Fifteenth Century, Vol. 7, ed. Linda Clark

Published: 2007

A study of the way in which the city of Exeter negotiated the competing political demands of local magnates and an unstable monarchy.

The Early History of the Annuity (extracts)

Kopf, Edwin W

From: The Proceedings of the Casualty Actuarial Society, Vol. 13

Published: 1927

Extracts covering the introductory material and the use of the annuity in Europe in the medieval period.

Gerontocomia, on the Care of the Aged

Labarge, Margaret Wade

From: Crown, Government and People in the Fifteenth Century, ed. Rowena Archer

Published: 1995

Fifteenth-century approaches to the care of the elderly as revealed in this work by the Italian physician Gabriele Zerbi.

The Alewives of Later Medieval Chester

Laughton, Jane

From: Crown, Government and People in the Fifteenth Century, ed. Rowena Archer

Published: 1995

An illustration of how the brewing business was organized and conducted in one city in the Later Middle Ages.

Women in Court: Some Evidence from Fifteenth-century Chester

Laughton, Jane

From: England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1992 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. N. Rogers

Published: 1994

A glimpse into the working lives of fifteenth-century women based on the records of Chester’s Portmote and Pentice courts.

Cathedrals and Charity: Almsgiving at English Secular Cathedrals in the Later Middle Ages

Lepine, David

From: EHR, Vol. 126, No. 522

Published: October 2011

As previous studies of medieval charity have focused on monastic almsgiving, the author has set out to fill the gap in our knowledge by studying the almsgiving practices of the nine secular cathedrals (i.e. those cathedrals that were not monastic churches).

Boy into Bishop – A Festive Role Reversal

Mackenzie, Neil

From: History Today, Vol. 37, Issue 12

Published: December 1987

Account of the tradition of electing a choirboy to take the place of the bishop on the feasts of St. Nicholas and Holy Innocents.

Religious Gilds and Regulation of Behaviour in Late Medieval Towns

McRee, Ben R

From: People, Politics & Community in the Later Middle Ages, ed. J. Rosenthal & C. Richmond

Published: 1987

On the pressure that gilds placed on their members to conform to a standard of behaviour.

Anthrax and the Etiology of the English Sweating Sickness and The English ‘Sweate’ (Sudor Anglicus) and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (extracts)

McSweegan, Edward; Bridson, Eric

From: Medical Hypotheses, Vol. 62, Issue 1, pp. 155-157

Published: January 2004

Abstracts of two papers suggesting different aetiologies for the sweating sickness.

‘Best Trusted Friends’: Concepts and Practices of Friendship among Fifteenth-century Norfolk Gentry

Maddern, Philippa

From: England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1992 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. N. Rogers

Published: 1994

Concentrates on the role of horizontal social connections, often overlooked by historians stressing the importance of vertical (patron-client) relationships.

Medieval Nativity Plays

Margetson, Stella

From: History Today, Vol. 22, No. 12

Published: December 1972

On the development of nativity plays from pious ecclesiastical tableau to the rumbustious drama of the town mystery cycle.

British Library Harley MS 1740 and Popular Devotion

Marx, C W

From: England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1992 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. N. Rogers

Published: 1994

Harley MS 1470, a small fifteenth-century manuscript containing an account of the Passion of Christ and a guide to meditation upon the same subject, sheds light on of the type of solitary religious devotions popular amongst educated laypersons of the period.

The Status and Daily Life of Women in the Fifteenth Century

Melhuish, J M

Typescript text of talk

Presentation: 1962

On the daily lives and duties of women, mainly of the merchant classes.

The Household as a Religious Community

Mertes, G E A

From: People, Politics & Community in the Later Middle Ages, ed. J. Rosenthal & C. Richmond

Published: 1987

Provides evidence that the English aristocracy of the later Middle Ages accepted that their household should be a religious as well as a secular community.

The Education of Aristocratic Women in Fifteenth-century England

Michalove, Sharon D

From: Estrangement, Enterprise & Education in Fifteenth Century England, ed. S. D. Michalove & A. C. Reeves

Published: 1998

How did women obtain the education necessary to enable them to support their husbands in the management of their households and estates?

The ‘Diary’ of a Late Fifteenth-century Lawyer

Moreton, Charles

From: Estrangement, Enterprise & Education in Fifteenth Century England, ed. S. D. Michalove & A. C. Reeves

Published: 1998

Discusses a journal in which Sir Roger Townshend detailed his professional activities.

The Coronation of the Virgin by the Trinity and Other Texts and Images of the Glorification of Mary in Fifteenth-century England

Morgan, Nigel

From: England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1992 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. N. Rogers

Published: 1994

On the emergence and growing popularity of devotional images showing the Virgin being crowned in Heaven by the Trinity. Black-and-white images of several extant examples are included.

International Trade in the Later Middle Ages

Morris, Annabel

Paper read at the Richard III Society’s Beds/Bucks Group Open Forum

Presented: 19th November 1994

Brief overview of the subject, concentrating on the wool trade, the Hanseatic League and piracy.

Medieval Christmas

Murray, Alexander

From: History Today, Vol. 36

Published: December 1986

Medieval man fused existing elements of pagan midwinter rites with the developing theology of the celebration of Christ’s birth.

Rediscovering Newton Hall

Nevell, Mike

From: Current Archaeology, Issue 257

Published: August 2011

Describes how a late-medieval cruck hall was discovered hidden inside what appeared to be an eighteenth-century brick barn at Hyde, Greater Manchester, and what has been learnt from its painstaking reconstruction using replicas of medieval tools.

Knights and Merchants: Trade, Politics and the Gentry in Late Medieval England

Nightingale, Pamela

From: Past & Present, No. 169

Published: November 2000

A study of the involvement of the gentry classes in trade.

The Triumph of the British: Part One – Late Medieval 1399-1485

Observer

From: Observer Magazine

Published: 18 June 1972

Brief articles by Colin Cross, Ruth Hall, etc., on political and social changes during the period.

Western Society and Alchemy from 1200 to 1500

Ogrinc, W H L

From: Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 6

Published: 1980

The changing attitudes towards alchemy of scholars and poets, the Church, princes (including Henry VII and Edward IV) and the common people.

‘Fyne worsted which is almost like silke’: Norwich’s Double Worsted

Oldland, John

From: Textile History, Vol. 42, No. 1

Published: November 2011

A study of worsted making in Norwich, which was central to the town’s economic success from 1400 to 1550, replacing woollens as the town’s main industry.

Child’s Play in Medieval England

Orme, Nicholas

From: History Today, Vol. 51

Published: October 2001

Challenges the view popularised by Aries that in the Middle Ages childhood as we know it did not exist.

Civic Mentality and the Environment in Tudor York

Palliser, D M

From: Northern History, Vol. 18

Published: 1982

Account of the everyday life of the citizens of York, reconstructed from surviving documents.

Murder, Motive and Punishment in Fifteenth-century England: Two Gentry Case Studies

Payling, S J

From: EHR, Vol. 113, No. 450

Published: February 1998

The author uses two cases – one from Rutland and the other from Nottinghamshire – to challenge the prevailing view that the disorder attendant on land disputes at this period was ‘more apparent than real, . . . a statement of intent in the search for a settlement mediated through the intervention of third parties.’

The Abbey of the Holy Ghost

Perry, G. (ed.)

From: Religious Pieces – Early English Texts Society, Old Series, No. 26

Published: 1867

Transcript (in original spelling) of a devotional work on how those not in religious orders should arrange their spiritual life; Margaret of Burgundy is known to have owned a copy.

Historians and the Role of Castles in the Wars of the Roses

Petre, James

From: Fort (journal of fortification & military architecture), Vol. 12

Published: 1984

A critique of the comments of historians on the role of castles in fifteenth-century English warfare.

The Criminal Past: Faces of Crime in Later Medieval England

Post, John

From: History Today, Vol. 38, pp. 18-24

Published: January 1988

Argues for statistical work based on the entire extant legal record in order to enable historians to assess whether the better-known cases to which reference is usually made really are typical of the period.

Credit in Medieval Trade

Postan, M

From: The Economic History Review, Vol. 1, No. 2

Published: January 1928

A study of the role of credit in English trade.

Investment in Medieval Agriculture

Postan, M

From: The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 27, No. 4

Published: December 1967

Discusses the reasons why so very little of the profits of agriculture were devoted to productive investment in the industry.

Revisions in Economic History. IX. The Fifteenth Century

Postan, M

From: The Economic History Review, Vol. 9, No. 2

Published: May 1939

The fifteenth century as a period of economic recession.

The English Wool Trade in the Reign of Edward IV

Power, Eileen

From: Cambridge History Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1

Published: 1926

Detailed account of the organisation of the wool trade, drawing on a variety of sources.

Richard III and the Office of Arms

Ramsay, Nigel

From: The Yorkist Age: Proceedings of the 2011 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. H. Kleineke & C. Steer

Published: 2013

A study of Richard’s contribution to the professional practice of heraldry. Includes reference to an extant genealogy of the armigerous families of northern England compiled between 1480 and 1483.

Medicine and Medical Practice in Later Medieval London

Rawcliffe, Carole

From: Guildhall Studies in London History, Vol. 5, No. 1

Published: October 1981

On the practice of medicine in London and the licensing and reputation of its practitioners.

Margins and Marginality: English Devotion in the Later Middle Ages

Richmond, Colin

From: England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1992 Harlaxton Symposium, ed. N. Rogers

Published: 1994

What we learn about the approach to religious devotion from the notes added to prayer books by their owners.

The Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism in the Archives of Magdalen College, Oxford: A Note

Richmond, Colin F

From: ‘Archives and Sources’ section of History Workshop, No. 37

Published: Spring 1994

The author uses an extant letter from a Warwickshire parson to the President of Magdalen College, Oxford, which held the manor, in order to challenge the tendency to attribute the phenomenon of deserted villages to natural depopulation rather than the actions of landlords.

Historical Materialism: Social Structure and Social Change in the Middle Ages

Rigby, Stephen H

From: Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Vol. 34, No. 3

Published: Fall 2004

A positive analysis of the value of Marx’s theory of historical materialism (the notion that production of necessities is always the main social driving force) to a reassessment of the forces shaping medieval society.

Urban Population in Late Medieval England: The Evidence of the Lay Subsidies

Rigby, Stephen H

From: Economic History Review, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 393-417

Published: 2010

Discusses whether the decline in the number of urban taxpayers between 1377 and 1524 is symptomatic of general recession or of an economic shift to the countryside.

English and Scottish Overseas Trade, 1300-1600

Rorke, Martin

From: The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 59, No. 2

Published: May 2006

A comparison of English and Scottish exports during the above period.

Aristocratic Widows in Fifteenth Century England

Rosenthal, Joel T

From: Women and the Structure of Society, ed. B. J. Harris and J. K. McNamara

Published: 1984

The lifestyle and fate of fifteenth-century aristocratic widows.

Medieval Longevity: and the Secular Peerage, 1350-1500

Rosenthal, Joel T

From: Population Studies, Vol. 27, pp. 287-293

Published: 1973

A statistical study of the ages of peers at death and their likelihood of dying from natural causes.

Other Victims: Peeresses as War Widows 1450-1500

Rosenthal, Joel T

From: History, Vol. 72, No. 235

Published: June 1987

Discusses the sparse information available on the lives of the peeresses widowed during the Wars of the Roses.

The Household Accounts of Elizabeth Berkeley, Countess of Warwick 1420-21

Ross, C D

From: Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Vol. 70

Published: 1951

Description of the Countess’ detailed records of expenditure on food, drink, etc..

Materials for the Study of Baronial Incomes in Fifteenth Century England

Ross, C D; Pugh, T B

From: Economic History Review, 2nd Series, Vol. 6

Published: 1953

Discussion of the usefulness of the various types of financial record: inquisitions post mortem, private accounts and valors, etc..

‘I have received a letter from you’: Keeping Track of the Post in Fifteenth-century England

Roura, Teresa Sanchez

From: Medieval Life, No. 15, pp. 21-25

Published: 2001

Study of the means and reliability of sending letters in the fifteenth century, based on the Cely correspondence.

Lincoln’s Inn in the Fifteenth Century

Roxburgh, Ronald F

From: Law Quarterly Review, Vol. 96

Published: 1980

On the history of Lincoln’s Inn, and its role in teaching the study and practice of the law.

The Geographical Distribution of Wealth in England, 1334-1649

Schofield, R S

From: The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 18, No. 3

Published: 1965

Challenges the claim in an earlier article by E. J. Buckatzch that the geographical distribution of wealth remained stable throughout the medieval period.

The Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism

Sen, Asok

From: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 19, No. 30

Published: July 1984

Explores the usefulness of Marxist and other theories to understanding the forces at work behind the transition from medieval feudalism to modern capitalism.

Chaucer’s London

Spencer, Brian

Exhibition guide

Published: 1972

Illustrated summary of various aspects of life in medieval London, written to accompany an exhibition held at the London Museum.

Pilgrim Badges of Henry the Sixth

Spencer, Brian

From: Journal of the Henry VI Society

Published: December 1972

Article by the then Assistant Keeper of the London Museum discussing the variety of Henry VI badges sold to pilgrims visiting his shrine at Windsor.

Noblemen in an Urbanised Society: Zeeland and its Nobility in the Late Middle Ages

Steensel, Arie van

From: Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 76-99

Published: March 2012

Analyses the consequences of the urbanization of Zeeland for its nobility.

The Social History of the English Medieval Cathedral

Stollard, Paul

From: History Today, Vol. 43

Published: February 1993

Sets out to answer the question: What did the English cathedral really look like and mean to the worshipper in the Middle Ages?

Models of Kingship: Arthur in Medieval Romance

Stone, Brian

From: History Today, Vol. 37

Published: November 1987

How King Arthur both reflected and inspired medieval ideals of kingship.

Picture Reference Book of the Middle Ages

Taylor, Boswell (ed.)

Booklet

Published: 1967

A collection of 227 small illustrations of medieval life.

Sanctuary in Medieval London

Thornley, I D

From: Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Vol. 38

Published: 1933

On the history of sanctuary rights in medieval London.

How to Send a Letter in Medieval England

Thorpe, Deborah

From: BBC History Magazine

Published: September 2013

An entertaining illustrated article dealing with the task of writing the letter, and the problems of finding a suitable messenger, tracking down the intended recipient and keeping the contents confidential.

Fifteenth Century Dietary Practices (extract)

Todhunter, E N

From: World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol. 18

Published: 1973

Review of medieval writings on food and health.

Life at Henry VII’s Court

Tucker, M J

From: History Today, Vol. 19

Published: May 1969

On Henry’s encouragement of learning and the arts.

Deincourt family of Park Hall, Morton

Turbutt, Gladwin

From: Derbyshire Miscellany

Published: Spring 2021

Interesting account of the development of the Deincourt family from the 12th to 15th centuries. It includes a good genealogical chart including Francis, 1st Viscount Lovell, Butlers, Greys, Norreys and Tiptofts.

Knightly Piety

Vale, Juliet; Vale, Malcolm

From: History Today, Vol. 37

Published: 1987

An exploration of ‘the web of secular status and religious instincts that made up the codes of conduct of English chivalry’.

Domestic Life of Berkeley Castle

Veal, Thomas

From: Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Vol. 19

Published: 1895

On life in a medieval castle.

Changing Burial Practice in Late Medieval England

White, W J

From: Richard III, Crown and People, ed. J. Petre

Published: 1985

Revised version of article published in The Ricardian, Vol 4, No. 63, December 1978. Changing fashions in burial practice for the rich.

The Religious Gilds of Medieval Leicester

Wilshere, Jonathan

Booklet, 28 pp.

Published: 1979

Booklet on the history and activities of Leicester’s various religious gilds. Black and white illustrations.

Kinship: The Canon Law and the Common Law in Thirteenth-century England

Worby, Sam

From: Historical Research, Vol. 80, Issue 210

Published: 2007

A discussion of the relationship between the kinship system used in canon law and the cosinage system of common law.

The Medieval Theatre in Some Essex Towns: Dunmow, Chelmsford, Maldon, Heybridge and Braintree

Wright, Robert

From: Essex Journal, Vol. 9

Published: Winter 1974/5

A re-analysis of the Essex town plays based on original research.

Changes and Continuities in Rural Society from the Later Middle Ages to the Sixteenth Century: the Contribution of West Berkshire

Yates, Margaret

From: Economic History Review, Vol. LII, No. 4

Published: November 1999

The results of a local study are offered as a contribution to the debate over whether the fifteenth century was a period of decreasing or increasing prosperity.

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