Petitions to the Crown from English Religious Houses, c.1272-c.1485
Title Details

352 Pages

23.4 x 15.6 cm

Series: Canterbury & York Society

Series Vol. Number: 100

Imprint: Canterbury & York Society

Petitions to the Crown from English Religious Houses, c.1272-c.1485

Edited by Gwilym Dodd and Alison K. McHardy

  • Description
  • Author
Petitions are vital sources for our knowledge of life in the middle ages. A selection is presented here with English summaries, notes, and introduction.

Through the petitions which they addressed to the crown the people of medieval England speak to us directly: the human interest stories they reveal are perhaps the nearest thing to local newspapers which the middle ages have leftus. Petitions were the subject's last resort when normal channels of law and government had failed, and offered kings the opportunity to exercise qualities of generosity, compassion, and sound judgment. However, despite their importance, they have not hitherto been recognized as a source for ecclesiastical history, a gap which this volume rectifies. A selection of over 200 cases shows the religious of medieval England taking full advantage of this mechanism, petitioning as landowners, neighbours, citizens, individuals, and religious orders. The subjects covered range from requests for tax rebates, and complaints about royal officials, to disputes with tenants, with townsmen, monastic rivals, and ecclesiastical superiors. National politics and international warfare are also represented, as are coastal erosion, and higher education. English summaries, explanatory notes and an extensive introduction enhance the reader's appreciation of this rich and remarkable resource.

Dr Gwilym Dodd is Lecturer in History at the University of Nottingham, where Dr Alison K. McHardy also taught until her retirement.

GWILYM DODD is Associate Professor of History at the University of Nottingham.

ALISON K. MCHARDY was formerly Reader in Medieval English History at the University of Nottingham.

Paperback

9780907239765

May 2012

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Hardcover

9780907239727

August 2010

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Title Details

352 Pages

2.34 x 1.56 cm

Series: Canterbury & York Society

Series Vol. Number: 100

Imprint: Canterbury & York Society