A study of the careers of over 1200 sheriffs appointed in England during the fourteenth century.

The links between Cornwall, a county frequently considered remote and separate in the Middle Ages, and the wider realm of England are newly discussed. Winner of The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies (FOCS) Holyer an Gof Cup for non-fiction, 2020. Stretching out into the wild Atlantic, fourteenth-century Cornwall was a land at the very ends of the earth. Within itsboundaries many believed that King Arthur was a real-life historical Cornishman and that their natal shire had once been the home of mighty giants. Yet, if the county was both unusual and remarkable, it still held an integral place in the wider realm of England. Drawing on a wide range of published and archival material, this book seeks to show how Cornwall remained strikingly distinctive while still forming part of the kingdom. It argues that myths, saints, government, and lordship all endowed the name and notion of Cornwall with authority in the minds of its inhabitants, forging these people into a commonalty. At the same time, the earldom-duchy and the Crown together helped to link the county into the politics of England at large. With thousands of Cornishmen and women drawn east of the Tamar by the needs of the Crown, warfare, lordship, commerce, the law, the Church, and maritime interests, connectivity with the wider realm emerges as a potent integrative force. Supported by a cast of characters ranging from vicious pirates and gentlemen-criminals through to the Black Prince, the volume sets Cornwall in the latest debates about centralisation, devolution, and collective identity, about the nature of Cornishness and Englishness themselves. S.J. DRAKE is a Research Associate at the Institute of Historical Research. He was born and brought up in Cornwall.

Essays throwing fresh light on what it was like to be a medieval soldier, drawing on archival research.

Typical accounts of Anglo-Scottish relations during the 14th century tends to present a sustained period of bitter enmity. However, this book shows that the situation was far more complex. Drawing together new perspectives from leading researchers, the essays investigate the great complexity of the Anglo-Scottish tensions.

A definitive look at the early history of St George's Chapel, one of the most important medieval buildings in England. Developed and improved by Edward III, the Chapel became the spiritual home of his newly-instigated Order of theGarter and, in the process, a new Camelot for the English monarchy. St George's Chapel, Windsor, is one of the most famous ecclesiastical foundations in Britain. Established in 1348, its origins are closely bound up with those of the Order of the Garter, which was founded by Edward III at the sametime. The collection of essays in this volume sets Windsor in its context, at the forefront of the political and cultural developments of mid-fourteenth-century England. They examine the early history of the Chapel, its tieswith Edward III's chivalric ambitions, the community of canons who served it, and its place in the institutional development of the English Church. Major themes are the role of the Chapel in the early history of the Order and itsinfluence on other collegiate foundations of the late middle ages; and much attention is devoted to the mighty building campaign at the Castle started by Edward III which made Windsor the grandest royal residence of its day.

Sheriffs were among the most important local office-holders in early modern England. They were generalist officers of the king responsible for executing legal process, holding local courts, empanelling juries, making arrests, executing criminals, collecting royal revenue, holding parliamentary elections, and many other vital duties. Although sheriffs have a cameo role in virtually every book about early modern England, the precise nature of their work has remained something of a mystery. The Tudor Sheriff offers the first comprehensive analysis of the shrieval system between 1485 and 1603. It demonstrates that this system was not abandoned to decay in the Tudor period, but was effectively reformed to ensure its continued relevance. Jonathan McGovern shows that sheriffs were not in competition with other branches of local government, such as the Lords Lieutenant and justices of the peace, but rather cooperated effectively with them. Since the office of sheriff was closely related to every other branch of government, a study of the sheriff is also a study of English government at work.