The decline of serfdom in late medieval England : from bondage to freedom

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Bibliographic Information

The decline of serfdom in late medieval England : from bondage to freedom

Mark Bailey

Boydell Press, 2016, c2014

  • : pbk

Available at  / 2 libraries

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Note

"First published 2014, paperback edition 2016"--T.p. verso

Chronology: p. [345]

Bibliography: p. [347]-358

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

An exciting, fresh look at one of the most important questions of medieval scholarship - the decline of serfdom and its implications. Scholars from various disciplines have long debated why western Europe in general, and England in particular, led the transition from feudalism to capitalism. The decline of serfdom between c.1300 and c.1500 in England is centralto this "Transition Debate", because it transformed the lives of ordinary people and opened up the markets in land and labour. Yet, despite its historical importance, there has been no major survey or reassessment of decline of serfdom for decades. Consequently, the debate over its causes, and its legacy to early modern England, remains unresolved. This dazzling study provides an accessible and up-to-date survey of the decline of serfdom in England, applying a new methodology for establishing both its chronology and causes to thousands of court rolls from 38 manors located across the south Midlands and East Anglia. It presents a ground-breaking reassessment, challenging many of the traditional interpretations of the economy and society of late-medieval England, and, indeed, of the very nature of serfdom itself. Mark Bailey is High Master of St Paul's School, and Professor of Later Medieval History at the University of East Anglia. He has published extensively on the economic and social history of England between c.1200 and c.1500, including Medieval Suffolk (2007).

Table of Contents

The Decline of Serfdom and its Historical Significance The Chronology of Decline: Villein Tenures The Chronology of Decline: Servile Incidents The Causes of Decline Reassessing the Decline of Serfdom: Method and Sources Walsham-le-Willows Merton College, Oxford Aldham Tingewick and Upper Heyford The Abbot of Bury St Edmunds The Dukes of Norfolk Miscellaneous Manors The Chronology of the Decline of Serfdom From Bondage to Freedom: Towards a Reassessment Appendix: List of original sources used in this study Bibliography

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