Martin Brett – författare

This is a unique collection of all the surviving acta, some never previously published, of the first four Norman archbishops of Canterbury - Lanfranc, Anselm, Ralph d'Escures and William of Corbeil. This period saw the development of a new sort of administrative document, and the texts in this edition are therefore of particular interest. An unusually high proportion are shown to be forgeries. The introduction provides an account of these influential archbishops and their households, and of the unusual diplomatic forms found in such early examples of the English sealed episcopal act.

This volume reproduces at full size 190 original charters produced for English bishops between 1085 and 1300. Full transcriptions face each plate, with a brief English summary and bibliographical note.The documents are drawn from every diocese, and are taken from fifty-five archives in England, France and Belgium. The selection includes representative examples of all the commoner types of document - solemn charters, judgements, mandates, indulgences, administrative or personal correspondence and formal notifications to the crown. A few cases of drafts, and several of forgery, are also included.The volume indicates the ways in which these documents, as the scribe prepared them, contain information - in punctuation, lay-out and physical appearance - which cannot be shown in even the most scrupulous printed edition. The introduction gives a broad outline of the evolution of the forms and script, and of methods of sealing.

Scholars have long been interested in the extent to which the Anglo-Saxon past can be understood using material written, and produced, in the twelfth century; and simultaneously in the continued importance (or otherwise) of the Anglo-Saxon past in the generations following the Norman Conquest of England. In order to better understand these issues, this volume provides a series of essays that moves scholarship forward in two significant ways. Firstly, it scrutinises how the Anglo-Saxon past continued to be reused and recycled throughout the longue durée of the twelfth century, as opposed to the early decades that are usually covered. Secondly, by bringing together scholars who are experts in various different scholarly disciplines, the volume deals with a much broader range of historical, linguistic, legal, artistic, palaeographical and cultic evidence than has hitherto been the case. Divided into four main parts: The Anglo-Saxon Saints; Anglo-Saxon England in the Narrative of Britain; Anglo-Saxon Law and Charter; and Art-history and the French Vernacular, it scrutinises the majority of different genres of source material that are vital in any study of early medieval British history. In so doing the resultant volume will become a standard reference point for students and scholars alike interested in the ways in which the Anglo-Saxon past continued to be of importance and interest throughout the twelfth century.

Reflecting the focus but also range of their honorand's work in medieval canon law in the era before Gratian, the essays in this volume explore the creation and transmission of canonical texts and the motives of their compilers but also address the issues of how the law was interpreted and used by diverse audiences in the earlier middle ages, with especial focus on the eleventh and early twelfth centuries. These issues have lain at the heart of Linda Fowler-Magerl's distinguished body of scholarly work on judicial ordines and procedural literature, on the transmission of canonical texts and their formal sources before Gratian, and perhaps most especially her pioneering role in the creation of a database of canon law manuscripts before Gratian now published as Clavis canonum. Linda Fowler-Magerl's work has fundamentally transformed our understanding of canonistic activity in the era before Gratian and its reception across the Church throughout Europe. Individually the scholars whose studies are included in this volume offer new viewpoints on several key issues and questions relating to the creation of canonical texts, the concerns of their compilers and the transmission of their work, as well as the use of such texts by readers with the most various interests in the period. As a whole, the volume contributes to an understanding of the increasing importance of the written law for a far wider circle than Roman reformers and local advocates. These issues are especially highlighted by the editors' introduction.

Reflecting the focus but also range of their honorand's work in medieval canon law in the era before Gratian, the essays in this volume explore the creation and transmission of canonical texts and the motives of their compilers but also address the issues of how the law was interpreted and used by diverse audiences in the earlier middle ages, with especial focus on the eleventh and early twelfth centuries. These issues have lain at the heart of Linda Fowler-Magerl's distinguished body of scholarly work on judicial ordines and procedural literature, on the transmission of canonical texts and their formal sources before Gratian, and perhaps most especially her pioneering role in the creation of a database of canon law manuscripts before Gratian now published as Clavis canonum. Linda Fowler-Magerl's work has fundamentally transformed our understanding of canonistic activity in the era before Gratian and its reception across the Church throughout Europe. Individually the scholars whose studies are included in this volume offer new viewpoints on several key issues and questions relating to the creation of canonical texts, the concerns of their compilers and the transmission of their work, as well as the use of such texts by readers with the most various interests in the period. As a whole, the volume contributes to an understanding of the increasing importance of the written law for a far wider circle than Roman reformers and local advocates. These issues are especially highlighted by the editors' introduction.