Approaching Medieval Sources – serie

Records of the household and wardrobe are important sources for understanding English royal medieval government. This book outlines their functions, organisation and development, along with the activities and accounts of the various officials and departments charged with their undertaking.The household was the political centre, encompassing a variety of departments catering to the day-to-day needs of the royal family and the court. The wardrobe was originally the location where cloth and other precious commodities were stored. Still, it took on increasing importance over the thirteenth century as the key financial and administrative office that itinerated alongside the king. This overview of the different types of household and wardrobe accounts and their contents demonstrates the wealth of information contained within these records. Conventions of language, abbreviations, money, numbers and dates are also explained. The two case studies illustrate how a household diet account and a wardrobe jewel account can be used to elucidate the actions and agency of Queens Eleanor of Provence and Margaret of France.As an introduction to the thirteenth-century household and wardrobe and their records, this book is an excellent guide for students and researchers who wish to use these documents in their research.

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.