No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis comprises a chronological study of different historical accounts of Edward IV’s life and reign from his life until the early eighteenth century. It focusses primarily on the way that historical portrayals of the king changed and developed alongside political, cultural and technological factors, something which has never been done before in any great detail. It begins begin with an examination of the primary sources from Edward’s reign, including the propagandist accounts The Historie of the Arrivall of Edward IV and The Chronicle of the Rebellion in Lincolnshire, the Crowland Chronicle Continuations, Warkworth’s Chronicle, and the vernacular urban chronicles of London and Bristol. It will contextualise these by briefly examining the English chronicle tradition up to the fifteenth century, as well as the historical treatment of other late medieval kings, especially Henry V and Henry VI The core of the thesis concerns itself with historical accounts over the period from 1485 to the early seventeenth century, during which Edward IV’s historical reputation underwent its greatest period of development. One chapter concerns itself with humanist authors, particularly Polydore Vergil and Thomas More, and the contribution of the French memoirist Philippe de Commynes. The next examines the impact of commercial printing during the mid-Tudor period, focussing upon the work of Richard Grafton, John Stow and Raphael Holinshed. Tudor and early Stuart Ballads, poems and plays featuring Edward are studied in order to give some indication of the perception of Edward IV in popular culture, with particular attention played to Heywood’s First and Second Parts of King Edward IV and Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part 3 and Richard III. Finally, later Stuart and early eighteenth century histories showing the final consolidation of Edward IV’s historical reputation are studied, with particular reference to William Habington’s History of Edward IV and Rapin de Thoyras’s History of England.

This thesis examines the 'Long Parliament' of 1406 as an example of politics and legislation in England during the early fifteenth century. It is based on a wide range of government sources, including manuscripts from the Public Record Office and the British Library, chronicles, printed chancery rolls and literary works. The idea behind this thesis is to shed light both on some aspects of Henry IV's rule and on the significance of the English parliament during the later middle ages. It also takes into account England's relations with France and its other neighbours in Henry IV's reign. As will be seen, these had a more significant effect on the course of the 1406 parliament than has previously been realized. They also influenced one of the most famous legislative acts of the 1406 parliament, the act for the inheritance of the throne. The thesis begins with an introduction analysing the main events of Henry IV's early years and the most important issues raised in his early parliaments (1399 to 1404). Without this analysis, the significance of the 1406 parliament cannot be understood. The first section of the thesis then discusses the backgrounds, political affiliations and connections of the members of the 1406 parliament and the factors that might have influenced their attitudes. The second part of the thesis establishes the chronology of the parliament and examines the main issues debated during its course. The third part of the thesis is directed towards an examination of the petitions and the petitioning process, and of the legislation enacted by this parliament. This section is largely based on the class of Ancient Petitions (SC 8) in the Public Record Office, London, which is the major primary source for unenrolled parliamentary petitions. Fifty-four additional private petitions submitted to/or during the parliament of 1406 have been discovered, and these are used to analyse the process of parliamentary petitioning. The final chapter discusses the consequences and aftermath of the 1406 parliament, to see the extent to which Henry's concessions in 1406 were implemented during the first ten months of 1407, and why the king was able to resume power during the Gloucester parliament of October 1407.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis is a study of all aspects of writing and reading connected with Sir John Fastolf, a military captain and steward of the household of John Duke of Bedford, who returned to England from the later battles of the Hundred Years War in 1438. Using the circumstantial, palaeographical, and codicological evidence contained in the letters, documents, and literary texts associated with Fastolf, the thesis performs a survey of the men who wrote for Fastolf, their interactions with him and with each other, and their positions in what might be deemed a ‘readership community’. The thesis takes a detailed look at letter and document composition, delivery, and storage, then relates this administrative writing to the production and reception of texts in manuscript books. It argues that there was a close relationship between these two types of work, finding that the administrators of the Fastolf circle were also the scribes of literary texts. The thesis consistently reinforces the importance of oral communication within this circle, emphasising that though there is a substantial amount of surviving written material associated with this circle, the written word was not the sole form of communication within it. The first section of the thesis is an introduction to the circle of Sir John Fastolf,since it is necessary to comprehend this complex and multitudinous group before considering reading and writing within it. Chapter One gives biographical information about Fastolf and the associates who were most involved with writing and reading. It then reconsiders the highly-contended issue of Fastolf's relations with these men: was Fastolf a harsh master, or badly-served by his men? Chapter Two explains the choice of the word ‘circle’ to describe this group, and considers potential subdivisions within it according to responsibilities or linguistic descriptions. It emphasises the individuality within the master-servant relationship, as is indicated by the evidence that Fastolf’s servants maintained various levels of proximity and permanence of service. In the second section, Chapter Three is a detailed examination of the writing of letters and administrative documents. It opens with a discussion of the interplay between oral conversation and written correspondence. It then looks at the evidence for the way in which Fastolf’s letters (none of which were autograph) were composed, and argues that they were not dictated. It progresses to examine the practicalities of correspondence and administration: drafting, copying, letter delivery, and storage. Finally, there is a look at the watermarks of paper associated with Fastolf. This leads into Chapter Four, which is a study of interactions between the men who wrote for Fastolf. It shows that there was consistent co-operation between Fastolf’s scribes, and suggests that collaboration had an effect upon the linguistic features of their work. Finally, Chapter Five looks at Fastolf’s collection of literary manuscript books, and considers the evidence about who read literary texts, as indicated by circumstantial evidence, as well codicological evidence such as annotations within the books themselves. It provides case studies of the men who can be shown to have written these books, and a focused study of one of these books in particular, the hitherto under-studied manuscript, College of Arms, MS. Arundel 48. Finally, there is an overview of the formation of a sub-section of Fastolf’s readership community in the west country, especially in Bristol, Glastonbury and Wells, which was facilitated by Fastolf’s Bristol-born secretary William Worcester.

This thesis explores the history of common land in Shropshire. Adopting a case study approach, this local study examines contrasting types of commons landscapes, conceptualising an alternative to the models of lowland Midland southern England and the uplands of the highland zone, acknowledging the distinction between common field and woodland countryside. Offering a new regional perspective which can be characterised as that of wood-pasture countryside, this thesis provides a study of the management of common land as a property regime in the context of local agrarian economies and societies over the longue duree. The study of manor courts and common land engages with a series of historiographical themes, casting light on the importance of common land and resources, both agricultural and non-agricultural for local communities. It considers manor courts as the institution responsible for the governance and management of common land and as a form of local administration, and how this varied geographically and chronologically, and assesses the significance of by-laws, custom and good neighbourhood in regulating access and the sustainability of commons. Concerning debates about poverty, welfare and life-cycle, it examines the use of common land and its resources by cottagers and the poor and the role of manor courts in allocating manorial resources, operating in parallel with parish administration, and highlighting the interaction of statute regarding poor relief, vagrancy and cottage building at a local level. It shows commons resources were contested and disputed, commoners and the poor invoking custom and memory of past use rights to defend what they believed to be morally, and sometimes legally valid common rights. The thesis emphasises the continuation of manor courts as a form of local administration where their function regarding common land and resources continued, as well as other factors which facilitated their survival despite the rise of the parish. The findings of this thesis, when considered in relation to European and International theoretical approaches regarding common pool resources, suggests that local management did not work long-term. Whilst attempts were made to control and limit access to commons and their resources, the contrasting commons of Shropshire remained of vital importance, providing a range of resources beyond simply common right of pasture, which were exploited on the basis of rights, leg~l or otherwise. Finally, it concludes that the highpoint in common land usage was the seventeenth and early to mid-eighteenth centuries and that subsequently the management of wood-pasture commons deteriorated with increasing pressure placed on its resources by those with and without formal common right. As a result of the breakdown of manorial regulation, commons went into decline being subsequently enclosed and improved.