H3H03 MEDIEVAL ENGLAND 1066-1399 TUTORIAL TOPICS

11 URBAN GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY.



a)   What  kinds  of records sources are available for  the  study  of
     medieval English towns ?

b)   What were the origins of the Medieval English town ? What sort of
     factors  influenced  the  location of urban  communities  in  the
     Middle Ages.

c)   Which  were  the  principal  towns of  medieval  England  ?  What
     criteria would you apply to determine the importance of a town ?

d)   What was the role of Markets and Fairs in the development of  the
     urban  economy  ?  What other forms of trade were carried  on  in
     English towns.

e)   What  relationship  did  medieval English  towns  have  with  the
     surrounding countryside ?

f)   What relationship did the towns have with  the royal government ?
     What is meant by burgage tenure ? What benefits did towns  expect
     to gain from Royal Charters ?

g)   How  were  medieval  English  towns  governed  ?  What  was   the
     aldermanic system ? To what extent did the medieval towns control
     their own fiscal and legal systems ?

h)   What factors determined the social structure in medieval  English
     towns  ?   What social classes would you expect to find  and  how
     would  they  be  differentiated  ?  What  evidence  is  there  of
     standards  of  living  and  quality of  life  amongst  the  urban
     population of medieval England.

i)   What  role was performed by the Medieval Guilds ? What   kind  of
     relationship did the Guilds have with the Urban government ?

j)   What impact did the economic crisis of the mid fourteenth century
     have on the English towns ?

Using the  relevant volume of ENGLISH HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS find,  read
     and annotate the following documents:

a)   Charter of Henry Ist in favour of London, 1130/1133 EHD II.945-6
b)   Customs  of  Newcastle on Tyne in the time of Henry Ist  EHD  II.
     964.
c)   Grants  of Fairs C13th Bland, Brown and Tawney, Select  Documents
     of English Economic History  pp 157-161.
d)   Guilds EHD II 948 & 970. EHD IV pp 1053, 1058 & 1059.
e)   Charter to Manchester 1301. Bagley J.J. & Rowley P.B. Documentary
     History of England pp 85-90.