The Popular Classes and Royal Justice in Medieval England, 1330-31.
Wednesday 28th, May 2025.
5:00pm – 6:00pm.
Rewley House,1 Wellington Square,Oxford,OX1 2JA.
FREE.
Join online or in Oxford for this lecture by Dr Chris Briggs, convened by Professor Elizabeth Gemmill and Dr Stephen Mileson..
This talk investigates the degree to which England’s royal courts of common law were used by the masses (peasants, craftsmen, wage-earners) to prosecute lawsuits of small value. It argues that this issue is important for understanding the institutional framework that supported England’s developing market economy, and for investigating claims about state formation in this period. Using a case study of one particular provincial session of royal justice – the Derbyshire eyre of 1330-31 – the paper presents quantitative evidence on the social status and subject matter of debt and trespass business heard before the king’s justices. It is argued that the Derbyshire evidence shows that there were limits to the social reach of the common law courts. If we wish to grasp the framework of civil justice we must aim at a more comprehensive analysis of medieval England’s multifarious jurisdictions (royal, communal, urban, seigniorial, and ecclesiastical).
This series will be a showcase for the intellectual excitement of the history and archaeology of the medieval period, with a focus on societies, economies and landscapes. It is intended as a venue for friendly and collaborative discussion of research in progress, of sources and methodologies, and of the interface between academic research and local and community history and archaeology. The Middle Ages has sometimes been unfairly dismissed as arcane and unapproachable, yet its sources speak to scholars across academic disciplines who are interested in our rich heritage of documents, material culture, and the landscape. The seminar is aimed at staff and students across the university and interested individuals in the wider community in Oxford, the UK and worldwide.
These talks are open to staff, students, and anyone interested in medieval history and archaeology — locally and globally. Sessions will include a mix of papers by established scholars and practitioners, and shorter presentations and discussions by undergraduate and postgraduate students.
These talks are FREE and accessible either in person at Rewley House or on-line. Please book in advance via Eventbrite.
