ROBERT THOROTON (1623?1678), historian, was son of Robert and Anne Thoroton, n?e Chambers. His ancestors had long held considerable property in Nottinghamshire. This volume published in 1797 was extended by John Throsby Thoroton commenced his ?Antiquities of Nottinghamshire? in 1667. He first worked on some transcript notes from ?Domesday Book? which were made by his father-in-law Gilbert Boun of Newark, and were made over to Thoroton by Gilbert Boun's son-in-law, Gervase Pigot of Thrumpton. Thoroton did not conduct all his researches personally, but employed paid assistants at great expense to himself. The magnificent result of his labours appeared in the folio volume of ?Antiquities? printed in London in 1677, and illustrated with engravings by Hollar after Richard Hall.

This book is the first volume of Thoroton's History of Nottinghamshire. Dr. Robert Thoroton (4 October 1623 - c. 21 November 1678) was an English antiquary, mainly remembered for his county history, The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire (1677). In 1667 Thoroton, aided by a band of helpers, began to work upon his great county history, The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire. This was published in London in 1677; it was dedicated to the eminent antiquarian William Dugdale and was illustrated by engravings by W. Hollar. It was Dugdale who had urged Thoroton to complete the work of history begun by Thoroton's father-in-law.

This in-depth study of a fourteenth-century murder explores the social fabric of the era through a tale of scandal and conspiracy among a noble family. In 1375, Sir William Cantilupe was found murdered in a field outside of a village in Lincolnshire. As the investigation progressed, fifteen members of his household were indicted for murder, and his armor-bearer and butler were convicted. Through the lens of this murder, Melissa Julian-Jones explores English society during the Hundred Years War, from crime and punishment to social norms and sexual deviance. Cantilupe’s murder was one of the first case to be tried under the Treason Act of 1351, which deemed the murder of a man by his wife or servants to be petty treason. It reveals the deep insecurities of England at this time, where violent rebellions within private households were a serious concern. Though the motives were never recorded, Julian-Jones considers the evidence as well as the relationships between Sir William and the suspects, including his wife, servants, and neighbors.