This thesis provides an analysis of material relating to the peasants" revolt of 1381 found in the records of royal judicial agencies. A number of previously unknown sources of information about the rising are described. Commission records help to establish the main features of the pattern of development and geographical distribution of the disturbances in Kent, Essex and East Anglia. King's bench records are extremely heterogeneous in character, but Ar, mainly of interest for the information they provide about the unrest in London and other towns. The private litigation against the rebels permits extremely detailed investigation of the background of the insurgents and also allows rebel bands to be identified. Escheators' accounts and exclusions from the general pardon have been overrated as sources, but, together with gaol delivery records, provide some details of incidents in counties for which information about the rising is otherwise patchy. Judicial records emphasise the importance of local tensions and private quarrels in the rising. They suggest that the rapid spread of the troubles across a large part of the country was mainly due to the pursuit of local and personal grievances of this sort. The varied background of the participants in the rising probably reflects the strong local and personal elements in the disturbances. The judicial records also indicate that the events in London did not form the focal point of the rebellion in the way suggested in the chronicles. The demands presented at Mile End and Smithfield were not necessarily representative of the views of the bulk of insurgents. It appears that many of the rebels were more interested in short term personal gain than thoroughgoing reform of the social and political order.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:319371 |
| Date | January 1984 |
| Creators | Prescott, Andrew John |
| Publisher | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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