First full analysis of the rich records surviving from medieval English town courts. Town courts were the principal institution responsible for the delivery of justice and urban administration within medieval towns. Their records survive in large quantities in archives across England, and they provide an unparalleled insight into the lives and work of thousands of men and women who lived in these towns. The court rolls tell us much about the practice of law at the local level within towns, as well as yielding a broad range of perspectiveson the economy, society and administration of towns. This volume is the first collection dedicated to the analysis of town courts and their records. Through a wide range of approaches, it offers new interpretations of the role that these courts played. It also demonstrates the wide range of uses to which court records can be put to in order to more fully understand medieval urban society. The volume draws on the records of a considerable number of towns and their courts across England, including London, York, Norwich, Lincoln, Nottingham, Lynn, Chester, Bromsgrove and Shipston-on-Stour. RICHARD GODDARD is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Nottingham; TERESA PHIPPS is Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History at Swansea University. Contributors: Christopher Dyer, Richard Goddard, Jeremy Goldberg, Alan Kissane, Maryanne Kowaleski, JaneLaughton, Esther Liberman Cuenca, Susan Maddock, Teresa Phipps, Samantha Sagui

About the Author
Christopher Dyer is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Leicester. He has written, edited, co-authored and co-edited many books, including William Dugdale, Historian, 1605-1686: His Life, his Writings and His County (Boydell, 2009).

Reviews
[This] is a wonderful collection of fascinating essays -- ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW
[This] volume should certainly inspire such study in future, and should find a place on the shelves of all late medieval urban historians -- URBAN HISTORY
Fills a major gap in the scholarly literature and provides a wide-ranging and coherent overview alongside exemplary case studies. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *
This is an important book. * NORTHERN HISTORY *
Goddard and Phipps set out to provide researchers with an understanding of a type of source that has been underused in history, and this book successfully provides a valuable guide. -- Joe Chick * Journal of British Studies *



Book Information
ISBN 9781783274253
Author Richard Goddard
Format Hardback
Page Count 277
Imprint The Boydell Press
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 1g