This is a study of the political and social structure of late medieval England. Dr Payling examines the wealth and political influence of a dozen Nottinghamshire families who dominated their county during the first half of the fifteenth century. His analysis shifts the historical emphasis from the barons at the head of their affinities to the greater gentry as members of well-defined shire establishments. This carefully researched study reassesses the nature of baronial-gentry relations, and establishes the true extent of the influence of the greater gentry. His book is both an important addition to local studies and a major contribution to the historiographical debate on the role of the gentry in late medieval England.
