Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, 1993
... Old English Manor, an attempt by Charles Andrews to synthesize the widely divergent scholarly... more ... Old English Manor, an attempt by Charles Andrews to synthesize the widely divergent scholarly theories.1 Although much information has been brought forward since Andrews's time, little has been settled concerning the nature and process of early medieval rural development. ...
Long ago, in an ambitious and valuable study, Sidney Painter sought to trace the progress of inco... more Long ago, in an ambitious and valuable study, Sidney Painter sought to trace the progress of incomes from the estates of lay baronies between 1086 and 1350. While Painter suggested that some of the nominal growth in baronial incomes he found represented a real increase, especially before 1250, he was astute enough to realise that at least most of the nominal growth had probably arisen from price increases. Since Painter wrote, opinions about the success or otherwise of estate management in outpacing or at least matching rises in prices during the period of the “long thirteenth century” have differed considerably, from the decidedly optimistic to the somewhat pessimistic.This is certainly an important question. If the fortunes of landlords cannot tell us directly about the fortunes of peasants, they can, in conjunction with a view of the progress of the economy as a whole, throw some light on the relationship between the two groups. Dealing largely with the aggregates of the incomes ...
The subject of money is of clear importance to the history of the English economy in the twelfth ... more The subject of money is of clear importance to the history of the English economy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and has attracted a considerable literature over the past decades. The author surveys the main strands of this work, dealing with the coinage itself, its production and quantity, its distribution and use, whether money can be equated with the coinage, and the question of credit. The article then goes on to deal with the debates on two important issues involving money in the period, the questions of inflation and commercialization, and suggests ways in which they should be taken forward.
This study attempts a reassessment of the rebellion of 1215–17 in two regions: southwestern Engla... more This study attempts a reassessment of the rebellion of 1215–17 in two regions: southwestern England and the Welsh marches. After examining the historiography of the 1215–17 conflict and some problems with the evidence, the article deals with the two regions in turn. In the first, the rebellion is found to be somewhat stronger than has been appreciated and to be, to a considerable extent, one of local county communities, rather than of great barons. In the second, the rebellion is seen as much stronger than it has been portrayed, although here the great rebel barons play a significant role. In both regions, the rebellion appears as one directed against an exploitative and intrusive central government and its aggressive curial servants, while also, in the outcome of the rebellion, a degree of common interest between the rebels and baronial loyalists is suggested. Overall, although there are some contrasts between the two regions, the study stresses the elements of a common cause in the rebellion. In 1961, J. C. Holt's groundbreaking study, The Northerners , based on a detailed analysis drawn from one very important region, offered an interpretation of the origins and course of the 1215 revolt against King John and of the civil war that followed. 1 His conclusions, which in most respects have remained unchallenged, were that the revolt in the north derived from a level of royal financial pressure unprecedented in that region, an over-ruthless political exploitation of the consequent debts, and resentment at King John's aggressive use of patronage to favour a narrow circle of the 'king's friends'. This latter category included some local men, but also those who were from outside the region and, in some cases, from outside England. Grievances over these men and their behaviour are not easily separable from the financial pressure. If 'the harshness and corruption of some administrators' was a grievance, this was partly because of 'the harshness of the policies which they had in any case
of the reign of Henry I there were two distinct types of earldom in England. One type was charact... more of the reign of Henry I there were two distinct types of earldom in England. One type was characterized by the almost complete lordship that the earl held over the shire of his earldom. In the other type, the earl held only relatively limited official powers and perquisites derived, for the most part, from the position of pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon earls. In I I 35 there was only one surviving example of the first type-the earldom of Chester-though the earlier earldoms of Hereford, Shrewsbury and Northumberland had also been of this type. Apart from Chester, the other earldoms surviving in I I 35-Buckingham, Gloucester, Huntingdon, Leicester, Surrey and Warwick-were all representatives of the second, more honorific variety. These earls were powerful men, but not through the rights conferred on them by comital office. During the troubled course of King Stephen's reign, the balance between the two types of earldom was altered and, in some cases, the difference became blurred. New earldoms of the Chester type were created : Cornwall, Pembroke, Richmond and Northumberland. Several earldoms came to be held by men who were themselves sheriff of the county in question, or who exercised authority over the sheriff of the county. This did not, in itself, change the financial relationship between the county and the exchequer, but did considerably increase the administrative power of the earl. In other counties, the alienation to the earl of royal lands and of services due to the king was so extensive as to confer on the earl a position approaching that of the earl of Chester.' Some earldoms, particularly those outside King Stephen's sphere of influence, were beyond the reach of any effective royal authority. In such a situation, the precise rights granted or associated with a particular comital title were of secondary importance to local military power and lordship.* During this period, when the nature ofearldoms was in flux, three grants of 'totus comitatus' o ~ c u r r e d. ~ An examination of the origins and the meaning of this special kind of grant throws light, not only on the development of the earldom, but also on the dangers that a reign such as King Stephen's held for the continuing strength of royal authority in England.
... a king of Dunmeller (now Drummelzier) in Upper Tweeddale near Peebles, associated with both S... more ... a king of Dunmeller (now Drummelzier) in Upper Tweeddale near Peebles, associated with both St Kentigern and with Merlin, who supposedly ... The editor here suggests that Alexander was probably a mistake for Alan, but Alexander son of Benedict of Pennington also appears ...
Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, 1993
... Old English Manor, an attempt by Charles Andrews to synthesize the widely divergent scholarly... more ... Old English Manor, an attempt by Charles Andrews to synthesize the widely divergent scholarly theories.1 Although much information has been brought forward since Andrews's time, little has been settled concerning the nature and process of early medieval rural development. ...
Long ago, in an ambitious and valuable study, Sidney Painter sought to trace the progress of inco... more Long ago, in an ambitious and valuable study, Sidney Painter sought to trace the progress of incomes from the estates of lay baronies between 1086 and 1350. While Painter suggested that some of the nominal growth in baronial incomes he found represented a real increase, especially before 1250, he was astute enough to realise that at least most of the nominal growth had probably arisen from price increases. Since Painter wrote, opinions about the success or otherwise of estate management in outpacing or at least matching rises in prices during the period of the “long thirteenth century” have differed considerably, from the decidedly optimistic to the somewhat pessimistic.This is certainly an important question. If the fortunes of landlords cannot tell us directly about the fortunes of peasants, they can, in conjunction with a view of the progress of the economy as a whole, throw some light on the relationship between the two groups. Dealing largely with the aggregates of the incomes ...
The subject of money is of clear importance to the history of the English economy in the twelfth ... more The subject of money is of clear importance to the history of the English economy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and has attracted a considerable literature over the past decades. The author surveys the main strands of this work, dealing with the coinage itself, its production and quantity, its distribution and use, whether money can be equated with the coinage, and the question of credit. The article then goes on to deal with the debates on two important issues involving money in the period, the questions of inflation and commercialization, and suggests ways in which they should be taken forward.
This study attempts a reassessment of the rebellion of 1215–17 in two regions: southwestern Engla... more This study attempts a reassessment of the rebellion of 1215–17 in two regions: southwestern England and the Welsh marches. After examining the historiography of the 1215–17 conflict and some problems with the evidence, the article deals with the two regions in turn. In the first, the rebellion is found to be somewhat stronger than has been appreciated and to be, to a considerable extent, one of local county communities, rather than of great barons. In the second, the rebellion is seen as much stronger than it has been portrayed, although here the great rebel barons play a significant role. In both regions, the rebellion appears as one directed against an exploitative and intrusive central government and its aggressive curial servants, while also, in the outcome of the rebellion, a degree of common interest between the rebels and baronial loyalists is suggested. Overall, although there are some contrasts between the two regions, the study stresses the elements of a common cause in the rebellion. In 1961, J. C. Holt's groundbreaking study, The Northerners , based on a detailed analysis drawn from one very important region, offered an interpretation of the origins and course of the 1215 revolt against King John and of the civil war that followed. 1 His conclusions, which in most respects have remained unchallenged, were that the revolt in the north derived from a level of royal financial pressure unprecedented in that region, an over-ruthless political exploitation of the consequent debts, and resentment at King John's aggressive use of patronage to favour a narrow circle of the 'king's friends'. This latter category included some local men, but also those who were from outside the region and, in some cases, from outside England. Grievances over these men and their behaviour are not easily separable from the financial pressure. If 'the harshness and corruption of some administrators' was a grievance, this was partly because of 'the harshness of the policies which they had in any case
of the reign of Henry I there were two distinct types of earldom in England. One type was charact... more of the reign of Henry I there were two distinct types of earldom in England. One type was characterized by the almost complete lordship that the earl held over the shire of his earldom. In the other type, the earl held only relatively limited official powers and perquisites derived, for the most part, from the position of pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon earls. In I I 35 there was only one surviving example of the first type-the earldom of Chester-though the earlier earldoms of Hereford, Shrewsbury and Northumberland had also been of this type. Apart from Chester, the other earldoms surviving in I I 35-Buckingham, Gloucester, Huntingdon, Leicester, Surrey and Warwick-were all representatives of the second, more honorific variety. These earls were powerful men, but not through the rights conferred on them by comital office. During the troubled course of King Stephen's reign, the balance between the two types of earldom was altered and, in some cases, the difference became blurred. New earldoms of the Chester type were created : Cornwall, Pembroke, Richmond and Northumberland. Several earldoms came to be held by men who were themselves sheriff of the county in question, or who exercised authority over the sheriff of the county. This did not, in itself, change the financial relationship between the county and the exchequer, but did considerably increase the administrative power of the earl. In other counties, the alienation to the earl of royal lands and of services due to the king was so extensive as to confer on the earl a position approaching that of the earl of Chester.' Some earldoms, particularly those outside King Stephen's sphere of influence, were beyond the reach of any effective royal authority. In such a situation, the precise rights granted or associated with a particular comital title were of secondary importance to local military power and lordship.* During this period, when the nature ofearldoms was in flux, three grants of 'totus comitatus' o ~ c u r r e d. ~ An examination of the origins and the meaning of this special kind of grant throws light, not only on the development of the earldom, but also on the dangers that a reign such as King Stephen's held for the continuing strength of royal authority in England.
... a king of Dunmeller (now Drummelzier) in Upper Tweeddale near Peebles, associated with both S... more ... a king of Dunmeller (now Drummelzier) in Upper Tweeddale near Peebles, associated with both St Kentigern and with Merlin, who supposedly ... The editor here suggests that Alexander was probably a mistake for Alan, but Alexander son of Benedict of Pennington also appears ...
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