Medieval Westminster 1200-1540

by Gervase Rosser

Overview

This unique look at the town of Westminster is a study of the nature of the urban community in the late Middle Ages. As a small town, characterized by a complex economy and society but lacking legal incorporation, Westminster typified the large yet neglected class of medieval urban centers. Rosser here examines the forces that existed to contain tensions and ensure continuity in the community. The regular expressions of shared interests and common identity—in local government, parochial life, and the activities of guilds—are shown to be essential to the survival of the town. A valuable contribution to the study of the social and economic history of the late Middle Ages, this work will be of interest to students of late medieval economic and social history as well as to urban historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198201564
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/12/1989
Pages:	442
Product dimensions:	5.56(w) x 8.75(h) x 1.16(d)

About the Author

St. Catherine's College, Oxford

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrations	xii
	List of Figures	xiv
	List of Tables	xv
	Abbreviations	xvi
	Introduction	1
1.	The Making of a Royal Capital, to 1300	9
1.	Before 1200	9
2.	The Thirteenth Century	16
2.	The King's Capital, 1300-1540	35
3.	Landlords, Tenants, and Houses	43
1.	Introduction	43
2.	The Abbey Estate	45
3.	The Reduced Density of Settlement in the Mid-Fifteenth Century	80
4.	Monastic and Private Enterprise in the Late Medieval Expansion	81
5.	Motives for Urban Property Holding	92
4.	Fairs and Markets	97
1.	The Great Fair of St Edward	97
2.	The Little Fair of St Peter	115
3.	The Monday Market	116
5.	Occupations	119
1.	Introduction	119
2.	Alehouses, Taverns, and Inns	122
3.	Victualling	133
4.	Prostitution	143
5.	Clothing and Leather Trades	145
6.	Metalworking	148
7.	Building Trades	150
8.	Commerce in the Sanctuary	155
9.	Service in Court and Cloister	158
10.	Conclusion: Retailing in the Urban Economy	161
6.	Population and Society	167
1.	The Size of the Population	167
2.	The Origin of the Population	182
3.	Women	196
4.	Professional Services: Law, Medicine, and Government	201
5.	Education and Books	207
6.	Amusements	215
7.	The Margins of Society	217
8.	The Distribution of Wealth	221
9.	Conclusion: A Diverse and Unequal Society	225
7.	Urban Government	226
1.	Introduction: What is a Town?	226
2.	The Lordship of the Abbot	229
3.	The Manor Court as Urban Government	232
4.	Conclusion	244
8.	The Religion of the Lay Community	251
1.	The Parish of St Margaret	251
2.	Relations Between Monastery and Parish	255
3.	The Rebuilding of the Parish Church, 1485-1525	263
4.	Images and Ritual	271
5.	The Reformation	275
9.	Guilds	281
1.	The Social Bonds of Fraternity	281
2.	The Guild as Surrogate Town Council	285
10.	Charitable Institutions	294
1.	Introduction	294
2.	The Royal Household	295
3.	Westminster Abbey	298
4.	The Hospital of St James	300
5.	Guild Charities: The Hospital of St Mary Rounceval and Others	310
6.	Conclusion: The Transformation of Medieval Charity	321
	Conclusion	325
	Appendices	328
I.	Reeves, Bailiffs, and Sub-bailiffs of Westminster, c1150-c.1540	328
II.	Curates of St Margaret's Parish Church, Westminster, c.1200-1556	335
III.	The Financial Value of St Margaret's Vicarage, 1291-1549	341
IV.	Revenues of the Obedientiaries of Westminster Abbey Holding Rents in the Town of Westminster, 1350-1530	342
V.	Tenants and Subtenants of Six Properties in King Street, c.1530	345
VI.	Places in the British Isles Occurring in the Names of Property Holders in Westminster Before 1350	349
VII.	An Account by the Abbot of the Government of Westminster, c.1511	362
VIII.	Office-holders in Westminster, c.1350-1540	366
	Select Bibliography	407
	Index	417

Editorial Reviews

"The breadth of Rosser's admirable research energetically reveals the diverse society of medieval Westminster."—Speculum

"Carefully-marshalled statistics and judicious conclusions....Essential reading for students of medieval urban society. His judicious study is enlivened by occasional witty asides, and the book is as readable as it is substantial."—Albion

"Scholars in urban history will find his work a significant counterexample to much current theory, while prosopographers and genealogists will welcome his detailed appendix on local leaders."—CHOICE

From the Publisher