Richard Cassidy – författare

Critical insights into the period of baronial reform and rebellion in England (1258-67) and the evolution of parliament.This new edition of the 1259 pipe roll sees the Pipe Roll Society returning to its roots by publishing the financial records of the English crown. The decision to publish this particular roll reflects the importance of the year 1259 in English constitutional and political history, at a critical juncture in the period of baronial reform and rebellion in England (1258-67) and the evolution of parliament. In 1258, a group of baronial reformers had imposed a council of fifteen on the king and attempted to regulate the workings of royal government and correct the misgovernment of both the centre and the localities. The contents of this pipe roll cover the first full year of the operation of this baronial government. It contains accounts for most of the counties of England and offers valuable insights into government finance and how royal administration productively functioned during this period. In particular, it provides detailed information about the sources of royal revenues and how these revenues were spent in the counties. The information within the roll, and within its ancillary records, sheds new light on the relationship between the central government and the sheriffs, the crown's chief local agents, which had been radically altered in 1258,with the appointment of new sheriffs by the reforming council as custodians, who were expected to account for the traditional income from the counties. Dr Cassidy's analysis of the pipe roll, analysed in the introduction to his new edition, demonstrates that the reformers' efforts to control the financial administration and reform Exchequer procedures met with success, in the beginning.

This is the first study specifically concerned with thirteenth-century pipe rolls and shows how pipe rolls were compiled, what they contain, and how to read them.These records of English government finance were produced annually. They list debts owed to the government, by the sheriffs of each county, by manors and boroughs, and by individuals for taxes, fines and judicial penalties. They also list the payments made, sometimes in cash to the treasury, sometimes for building works, fees for royal employees and relatives, the provision of castles, and much more. The rolls are an essential source for administrative history, and provide detailed information for family and local historians. All the rolls are now readily available, either in print or online, but they are at first sight difficult to understand. This book shows how the rolls evolved in the course of the century and serves as a guide for beginners, armed with some basic Latin, who want to explore these records. As well as explaining the conventions of dates, numbers, abbreviations, monetary units and so on, it illustrates the material to be found in pipe rolls by a detailed examination of a single roll.

This is the first study specifically concerned with thirteenth-century pipe rolls and shows how pipe rolls were compiled, what they contain, and how to read them.These records of English government finance were produced annually. They list debts owed to the government, by the sheriffs of each county, by manors and boroughs, and by individuals for taxes, fines and judicial penalties. They also list the payments made, sometimes in cash to the treasury, sometimes for building works, fees for royal employees and relatives, the provision of castles, and much more. The rolls are an essential source for administrative history, and provide detailed information for family and local historians. All the rolls are now readily available, either in print or online, but they are at first sight difficult to understand. This book shows how the rolls evolved in the course of the century and serves as a guide for beginners, armed with some basic Latin, who want to explore these records. As well as explaining the conventions of dates, numbers, abbreviations, monetary units and so on, it illustrates the material to be found in pipe rolls by a detailed examination of a single roll.