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This series includes pioneering editions of medieval historical accounts by eye-witnesses and contemporaries, collections of source materials such as charters and letters and works that applied new historiographical methods to the interpretation of the European middle ages. The nineteenth century saw an upsurge of interest in medieval manuscripts, texts and artefacts, and the enthusiastic efforts of scholars and antiquaries made a large body of material available in print for the first time. Although many of the analyses have been superseded, they provide fascinating evidence of the academic practices of their time, while a considerable number of texts have still not been re-edited and are still widely consulted.

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211 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Medieval History

Page 4 of 11

Early Yorkshire Families
  • Edited by Charles Clay, Diana E. Greenway
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1973
  • First published in 1973, this collection of notes and documents relating to approximately 100 Yorkshire families who held land of the Crown in Yorkshire in the middle ages was compiled by the antiquary Sir Charles Travis Clay (1885–1978). Deeply interested in the history of his home county, he was held in high esteem for his editing of medieval charters, and the ten volumes of Early Yorkshire Charters that he edited between 1935 and 1965 (also reissued in this series as part of the complete thirteen-volume set) were regarded as a masterpiece. In Early Yorkshire Families, Clay's notes on each lineage establish its provenance, its genealogy, the origin of its land tenure (with further illustrative documents contained in the latter part of the work), and how land was held and transmitted. This work is an invaluable source of information for researchers interested in medieval Yorkshire or the feudal system generally.

Early Yorkshire Charters
  • Volume 7, The Honour of Skipton
  • Edited by William Farrer, Charles Travis Clay
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1947
  • This thirteen-volume series, which first appeared between 1914 and 1965, is an extensive collection of the pre-thirteenth-century charters and related records of Yorkshire, which had previously remained largely unpublished. The first three volumes were edited by William Farrer (1861–1924), after whose death Charles Travis Clay (1885–1978) took up the task. The series was well respected for the quality of Farrer's editing, which was surpassed only by that of Clay in the later volumes. Volume 7 (1947) is devoted to the honour of Skipton, and covers the family of Cecily de Rumilly, founder of Embsay Priory. Breaking from Farrer's original scheme, the Latin texts here extend into the first three quarters of the thirteenth century to form a coherent group relating to Skipton. Each text is accompanied by notes and discussion of points of interest. The volume also contains detailed indexes.

Early Yorkshire Charters
  • Volume 8, The Honour of Warenne
  • Edited by William Farrer, Charles Travis Clay
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1949
  • This thirteen-volume series, which first appeared between 1914 and 1965, is an extensive collection of the pre-thirteenth-century charters and related records of Yorkshire, which had previously remained largely unpublished. The first three volumes were edited by William Farrer (1861–1924), after whose death Charles Travis Clay (1885–1978) took up the task. The series was well respected for the quality of Farrer's editing, which was surpassed only by that of Clay in the later volumes. Volume 8 (1949) focuses on the honour of Warenne. As Farrer's original notes on Warenne contained only forty-five charters, Clay expanded the range of the present corpus to include texts up to 1240, and charters of the lord of the honour. Each Latin text is accompanied by English notes and discussion of points of interest. This volume also contains facsimile plates of select documents as well as detailed indexes.

Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield
  • Volume 1, 1274 to 1297
  • Edited by William Paley Baildon
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1901
  • The detailed records of the proceedings of the manorial court of Wakefield provide a unique insight into medieval life and commerce, the many legal disputes arising, and the mechanisms for resolving them. The manor court met every three weeks, as well as holding additional courts, or 'tourns', at various locations around the West Riding of Yorkshire. Recognising the historical significance of these court records, in 1901 the Yorkshire Archaeological Society began publishing them as part of its Record Series, continuing intermittently until 1945 and ultimately producing five volumes that span the years 1274–1331. Edited with an introduction and notes by William Paley Baildon (1859–1924), Volume 1 contains the Latin text of the earliest extant court roll, for the year 1274–5, followed by an English translation. Also included are the surviving rolls (in English) for the years up to 1297.

Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield
  • Volume 2 , 1297 to 1309
  • Edited by William Paley Baildon
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1906
  • The detailed records of the proceedings of the manorial court of Wakefield provide a unique insight into medieval life and commerce, the many legal disputes arising, and the mechanisms for resolving them. The manor court met every three weeks, as well as holding additional courts, or 'tourns', at various locations around the West Riding of Yorkshire. Recognising the historical significance of these court records, in 1901 the Yorkshire Archaeological Society began publishing them as part of its Record Series, continuing intermittently until 1945 and ultimately producing five volumes that span the years 1274–1331. Edited by William Paley Baildon (1859–1924) and published in 1906, Volume 2 contains the court rolls for the years 1297–1309. The editor's introduction provides an explanation of the workings of the court and the content of the rolls, the texts of which are in English.

Early Yorkshire Charters
  • Being a Collection of Documents Anterior to the Thirteenth Century Made from the Public Records, Monastic Chartularies, Roger Dodsworth's Manuscripts and Other Available Sources
  • Volume 3
  • Edited by William Farrer
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1916
  • This thirteen-volume series, which first appeared between 1914 and 1965, is an extensive collection of the pre-thirteenth-century charters and related records of Yorkshire, which had previously remained largely unpublished. The first three volumes were edited by William Farrer (1861–1924), after whose death Charles Travis Clay (1885–1978) took up the task. The series was well respected for the quality of Farrer's editing, which was surpassed only by that of Clay in the later volumes. The majority of Volume 3 (1916) is devoted to the extensive charters of the Lascy fee of Pontefract and the Albermarle fee of Holderness. It also includes documents relating to Hallamshire and Mortemer. Each Latin text is prefaced with a summary in English, and documents of note are followed by a discussion of their content and points of interest, including genealogies of the people involved.

Abstracts of the Chartularies of the Priory of Monkbretton
  • Edited by John William Walker
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    14 February 2013
    First published in:
    1924
  • The priory of St Mary Magdalene, Monkbretton, was founded around 1154 as a daughter house of Pontefract, and became Benedictine in 1281 following disputes with the Cluniac order. The chartulary, abstracted and published in 1924, is unusually late, written after 1529, shortly before the priory's dissolution. It comprises 352 folios, arranged by location, with a table of contents. Also included are lists made in 1558 of books belonging to the prior and monks, by then dispersed among several owners. An earlier Latin chartulary exists in the British Library and an English abstract of this forms an appendix to the present volume, along with other items that do not appear in the later document. Although the priory was relatively small, the monks were careful stewards of their property. Most of its possessions were in the near vicinity, and it escaped the first round of dissolutions, with fourteen monks receiving pensions.

Early Yorkshire Charters
  • Volume 9, The Stuteville Fee
  • Edited by William Farrer, Charles Travis Clay
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1952
  • This thirteen-volume series, which first appeared between 1914 and 1965, is an extensive collection of the pre-thirteenth-century charters and related records of Yorkshire, which had previously remained largely unpublished. The first three volumes were edited by William Farrer (1861–1924), after whose death Charles Travis Clay (1885–1978) took up the task. The series was well respected for the quality of Farrer's editing, which was surpassed only by that of Clay in the later volumes. Volume 9 (1952) is devoted to the Stuteville fee and documents relating to the Stuteville family. Clay was praised by his contemporaries for his exhaustive genealogical research into the extended branches of this family. The Latin texts presented here are accompanied by English notes and discussion of points of interest. The volume also contains facsimile plates of select documents as well as detailed indexes.

The History of Westminster Abbey
  • John Flete
  • Edited by J. Armitage Robinson
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1909
  • The Dean of Westminster, J. Armitage Robinson (1862–1936), was responsible for the publication of several works about the history of the abbey (his Manuscripts of Westminster Abbey and Gilbert Crispin, Abbot of Westminster are also reissued in this series). This edition of a manuscript history in Latin, written by the monk John Flete (c. 1420–1465) was published in 1909. Robinson's introduction discusses the history of the text, the manuscript sources, the nature of the content (which contains Fleet's transcriptions of charters and other documents) and the reliability of Flete's chronology. The text itself is not translated, but side-notes in English provide an abstract of the narrative, which begins in legendary times with the foundation of the abbey by 'King Lucius' in 184 CE. Flete also describes the appearance of the abbey in his own day, and the ceremonies of national significance which took place in this ancient building.

The Life and Times of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, AD 1091–1153
  • James Cotter Morison
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    14 June 2012
    First published in:
    1863
  • This work, first published in 1863, relates the biography of a complex, visionary reformer from his birth in 1091 to his death in 1153, capturing in the process the major currents of twelfth-century politics, culture and faith. From the foundation of the Cistercian Abbey of Clairvaux to its rise as a centre of monastic austerity and devotion, the book traces Saint Bernard's participation in the seismic events of his day, including the creation of the Knights Templar, the rise of scholasticism and the preaching of the Second Crusade. Told in a lucid, anecdotal style by the Victorian essayist, biographer and political reformer James Cotter Morison (1832–88), whose friends included Matthew Arnold and Thomas Carlyle, this is an important work of Victorian medievalist criticism, capturing the spirit of its own age even as it evokes the spirit of another.

Cartularium Saxonicum
  • A Collection of Charters Relating to Anglo-Saxon History
  • Volume 3, AD 948–975
  • Edited by Walter de Gray Birch
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1893
  • Walter de Gray Birch (1842–1924) worked in the Department of Manuscripts at the British Museum from 1864 to 1902 and published extensively in Anglo-Saxon studies. He is best known for this collection of over 1300 charters, in Latin and Old English, originally published in thirty-two parts between 1883 and 1893 and now reissued in three volumes. The funding for Birch's project eventually ran out, and the work ends at 975 CE. However, for the period covered, Birch's edition, which drew extensively on recent Victorian scholarship, superseded John Mitchell Kemble's 1839–48 Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici (also reissued in this series), which had been the first attempt to publish all the surviving Anglo-Saxon charter texts. Like Kemble, Birch organised his collection chronologically. Volume 3 focuses mainly on the tenth century. Together with grants of lands and privileges, it records several manumissions, and the regulations for the repair of a bridge.

Cartularium Saxonicum
  • A Collection of Charters Relating to Anglo-Saxon History
  • Volume 2, AD 840–947
  • Edited by Walter de Gray Birch
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1887
  • Walter de Gray Birch (1842–1924) worked in the Department of Manuscripts at the British Museum from 1864 to 1902 and published extensively in Anglo-Saxon studies. He is best known for this collection of over 1300 charters, in Latin and Old English, originally published in thirty-two parts between 1883 and 1893 and now reissued in three volumes. The funding for Birch's project eventually ran out, and the work ends at 975 CE. However, for the period covered, Birch's edition, which drew extensively on recent Victorian scholarship, superseded John Mitchell Kemble's 1839–48 Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici (also reissued in this series), which had been the first attempt to publish all the surviving Anglo-Saxon charter texts. Like Kemble, Birch organised his collection chronologically. Volume 2 covers the century from 839 to 947, and, alongside grants of lands and privileges, includes documents about corrupt bishops, pagan rites, decorated manuscripts and church treasures.

The Border Antiquities of England and Scotland
  • Comprising Specimens of Architecture and Sculpture, and Other Vestiges of Former Ages, Accompanied by Descriptions
  • Walter Scott
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    14 June 2012
    First published in:
    1814
  • The work of the poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) frequently reflected his interest in Scottish history, and he is regarded as having written some of the most influential historical fiction of the nineteenth century. His literary works include the poem The Lady of the Lake and the novels Waverley and Ivanhoe. Originally published in two volumes in 1814–17, this one-volume reissue is a work of non-fiction that illuminates Border history as revealed through architecture and artefacts. Scott was not the sole author, but his substantial introduction sets the historical scene for the entries on various castles, churches and other historic structures on both sides of the border. Illustrative extracts of his poetry are also included, along with many detailed engravings of the evocative scenes and buildings described.

Anecdota Oxoniensia. The Crawford Collection of Early Charters and Documents Now in the Bodleian Library
  • Edited by Arthur S. Napier, W. H. Stevenson
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1895
  • This collection of nineteen early English charters, in Old English and Latin, was formed in the eighteenth century, lost from sight for one hundred years in Ireland, and sent for auction in the early 1890s, when it was purchased by the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It includes original charters of Anglo-Saxon kings including Aethelstan and Aethelred, and refers to estates as far apart as Cornwall and St Albans. The documents were edited by A. S. Napier (1853–1916) and W. H. Stevenson (1858–1924), and published in 1895. The book contains thorough notes on historical and philological aspects of the texts, and a detailed index. The editors set new standards, voicing stern criticism of the pioneering works of Kemble and Birch (also reissued in this series) as regards authenticity and dating. Their work inspired new editions of the Anglo-Saxon charters, one in the first half of the twentieth century, the other still ongoing.

Cartularium Saxonicum
  • A Collection of Charters Relating to Anglo-Saxon History
  • Volume 1, AD 430–839
  • Edited by Walter de Gray Birch
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1885
  • Walter de Gray Birch (1842–1924) worked in the Department of Manuscripts at the British Museum from 1864 to 1902 and published extensively in Anglo-Saxon studies. He is best known for this collection of over 1300 charters, in Latin and Old English, originally published in thirty-two parts between 1883 and 1893 and now reissued in three volumes. The funding for Birch's project eventually ran out, and the work ends at 975 CE. However, for the period covered, Birch's edition, which drew extensively on recent Victorian scholarship, superseded John Mitchell Kemble's 1839–48 Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici (also reissued in this series), which had been the first attempt to publish all the surviving Anglo-Saxon charter texts. Like Kemble, Birch organised his collection chronologically. Volume 1 covers the fifth to the mid-ninth century, and includes an introduction describing developments in Anglo-Saxon studies since Kemble's day and the resources available to Birch.

The Abbot’s House at Westminster
  • J. Armitage Robinson
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    02 February 2011
    First published in:
    1911
  • In this 1911 work, J. Armitage Robinson uses architectural and documentary sources to discuss the history of the abbot's buildings at Westminster Abbey. The medieval monastic remains are extensive, but have been considerably modified over the centuries. The abbey muniments provide much information on the building's history, and Robinson includes many documents, both medieval and post-Reformation, to trace the development of the complex and how it was used. As dean of the abbey, Robinson had unprecedented access, and so was able to work out the architectural history more fully than had been possible in previous studies. As the abbey grew in importance and wealth, so the status of the abbot grew, necessitating grander buildings for entertaining. The medieval abbey must have been a continual building site, to judge by the frequent references to structural work in the accounts. This is a valuable study of an important surviving medieval building.

Studies on Anglo-Saxon Institutions
  • H. Munro Chadwick
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    02 November 2010
    First published in:
    1905
  • First published in 1905, H. Munro Chadwick's Studies on Anglo-Saxon Institutions applied his study of philology to a re-analysis of the historical evidence for early English law and administration. In the first part he examines the development of the monetary and social systems, coming to some controversial interpretations. The second part of the book looks at the administration at national and local levels, land tenure and the origin of the nobility. He shows that there was considerable variation between different Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and their legal and social organisation. Chadwick combined his knowledge of languages, history and archaeology to highlight new areas for further research, and he had considerable influence on the development of the study of Anglo-Saxon and related subjects at Cambridge.

The Travels of Ibn Batūta
  • With Notes, Illustrative of the History, Geography, Botany, Antiquities, etc. Occurring throughout the Work
  • Ibn Batuta
  • Edited and translated by Samuel Lee
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1829
  • This English edition of the work of the Arab traveller usually known as Ibn Battuta (1304–68/9) was translated by Rev. Samuel Lee (1783–1852), Professor of Arabic in the University of Cambridge, from 'the abridged Arabic manuscript copies, preserved in the Public Library of Cambridge', and published in 1829. Lee's work sparked widespread European interest in Ibn Battuta, who had set off from his native Morocco on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325, and kept travelling for the next twenty-four years, reaching as far east as China and as far south as Zanzibar, as well as visiting parts of Spain and the Byzantine Empire. On his return, he dictated an account of his travels; Lee translated an abridged version, but fuller versions were later discovered. There is doubt as to whether Ibn Battuta actually saw everything he described, but this account gives a fascinating world-view from the medieval period.

The English Village Community Examined in its Relation to the Manorial and Tribal Systems and to the Common or Open Field System of Husbandry
  • An Essay in Economic History
  • Frederic Seebohm
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1883
  • The Yorkshire-born barrister, banker and economic historian Frederic Seebohm (1833–1912) first came to attention with his work on the Reformation intellectuals Colet, Erasmus and More. In this work, first published and then reissued in 1883, Seebohm's focus is on the agrarian history of medieval England, with special reference to problems of early land tenure and the social system that developed from it. Seebohm stresses the continuity between Roman settlement and English villages, and he regards the manor, whose lands were cultivated by serfs, as the original form of landed property among the Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic peoples. He was the first British historian to provide a detailed description of the structure and economic life of the large manor, based on the unpaid labour of the serfs, and of the relations between the manor and the community. The book remains an influential treatment of the feudal system.

The Saxons in England
  • A History of the English Commonwealth till the Period of the Norman Conquest
  • Volume 1
  • John Mitchell Kemble
  • Published online:
    05 August 2012
    Print publication:
    10 November 2011
    First published in:
    1849
  • This monumental 1849 publication was the first detailed analysis to compare Anglo-Saxon institutions with those of other Germanic peoples. The philologist and historian Kemble (1807–57) was born into a renowned family of actors, trained at Cambridge for both the bar and the church, but devoted his career to Germanic philology and Old English. His studies resulted in several books including a Beowulf edition (1833), a pioneering six-volume edition of Anglo-Saxon charters (Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, 1839–48), and the posthumous Horae Ferales (1863), together with articles and translations in periodicals. He also corresponded for many years with Jacob Grimm. The Saxons drew heavily on Kemble's work on the charters. This, the first of two volumes, argues for the early presence of the Saxons in Britain and investigates their laws and institutions, emphasising the relationship between land ownership and rank in the Anglo-Saxon social order.

Page 4 of 11