What proportion of an English village’s population was involved in credit networks c.1377?

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Description/Abstract

This article asks what percentage of an English village population typically acted in credit networks within a twelve-month period in the later XIVth century. Its sources are the 1377 poll tax returns, which give population data, and the rolls of the manor court, which record village debt disputes. Four villages are studied. Participation both by individuals and by households is considered. The sources pose problems which make it hard to obtain complete figures on totals of creditors and debtors. However, the information available allows one to estimate that up to two-thirds of households were engaged in credit c.1377