Seigniorial control of villagers' litigation beyond the manor in later medieval England
Seigniorial control of villagers' litigation beyond the manor in later medieval England
Medieval villagers were assiduous users of legal structures in defence of private interests. To enforce contracts against and recover debts from residents of other villages, rural plaintiffs had to prosecute in courts situated beyond the boundaries of their 'home' manors. The ability to sue elsewhere than the local manor court was thus crucial to commercial development in the countryside. This article explores the obstacles to such litigation, challenging the claim that servile villeinage acted to restrict villagers' choice of court. It lays the foundation for a larger investigation into the importance of villagers as civil litigants in ecclesiastical and royal jurisdictions
399-422
Briggs, Chris
0f1a67fd-0c29-4e36-b2c2-0c667009e166
22 April 2008
Briggs, Chris
0f1a67fd-0c29-4e36-b2c2-0c667009e166
Briggs, Chris
(2008)
Seigniorial control of villagers' litigation beyond the manor in later medieval England.
Historical Research, 81 (213), .
(doi:10.1111/j.1468-2281.2008.00463.x).
Abstract
Medieval villagers were assiduous users of legal structures in defence of private interests. To enforce contracts against and recover debts from residents of other villages, rural plaintiffs had to prosecute in courts situated beyond the boundaries of their 'home' manors. The ability to sue elsewhere than the local manor court was thus crucial to commercial development in the countryside. This article explores the obstacles to such litigation, challenging the claim that servile villeinage acted to restrict villagers' choice of court. It lays the foundation for a larger investigation into the importance of villagers as civil litigants in ecclesiastical and royal jurisdictions
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Published date: 22 April 2008
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Local EPrints ID: 79778
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/79778
ISSN: 0950-3471
PURE UUID: 528ba530-3e1a-4304-a90b-8051799bcc0b
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Date deposited: 19 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 00:33
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Author:
Chris Briggs
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