Manchester Medieval Sources Series series advisers Rosemary Horrox and Simon MacLean This series aims to meet a growing need amongst students and teachers of medieval history for translations of key sources that are directly usable in students’ own work. It provides texts central to medieval studies courses and focuses upon the diverse cultural and social as well as political conditions that affected the functioning of all levels of medieval society. The basic premise of the series is that translations must be accom- panied by sufficient introductory and explanatory material and each volume therefore includes a comprehensive guide to the sources’ interpretation, including discussion of critical linguistic problems and an assessment of the most recent research on the topics being covered. also available in the series Andrew Brown and Graeme Small Court and civic society in the Burgundian Low Countries c. 1420-1520 John H. Arnold and Pete Biller Heresy and inquisition in France, 1200–1300 Martin Heale Monasticism in late medieval England, c.1300–1535 David Jones Friars’ Tales: Thirteenth-century exempla from the British Isles Graham Loud Roger II and the making of the Kingdom of Sicily T.J.H. McCarthy Chronicles of the Investiture Contest: Frutolf of Michelsberg and his continuators A.K. McHardy The reign of Richard II Simon MacLean History and politics in late Carolingian and Ottonian Europe: The Chronicle of Regino of Prüm and Adalbert of Magdeburg Anthony Musson and Edward Powell Crime, law and society in the later Middle Ages Andrew Rabin The political writings of Archbishop Wulfstan of York I. S. Robinson Eleventh-century Germany: The Swabian Chronicles I. S. Robinson The Annals of Lampert of Hersfield Craig Taylor Joan of Arc: La Pucelle Diana Webb Saints and cities in medieval Italy for a full list of titles available in this series, please see www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk TOWNS IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND Medieval Sourcesonline Complementing the printed editions of the Medieval Sources series, Manchester University Press has developed a web-based learning resource which is now available on a yearly subscription basis. Medieval Sourcesonline brings quality history source material to the desktops of stu- dents and teachers and allows them open and unrestricted access throughout the entire college or university campus. Designed to be fully integrated with academic courses, this is a one-stop answer for many medieval history students, academics and researchers keeping thousands of pages of source material ‘in print’ over the Internet for research and teaching. titles available now at Medieval Sourcesonline include Trevor Dean The towns of Italy in the later Middle Ages John Edwards The Jews in Western Europe, 1400–1600 Paul Fouracre and Richard A. Gerberding Late Merovingian France: History and hagiography 640–720 Chris Given-Wilson Chronicles of the Revolution 1397–1400: The reign of Richard II P. J. P. Goldberg Women in England, c. 1275–1525 Janet Hamilton and Bernard Hamilton Christian dualist heresies in the Byzantine world, c. 650–c. 1450 Rosemary Horrox The Black Death David Jones Friars’ Tales: Thirteenth-century exempla from the British Isles Graham A. Loud and Thomas Wiedemann The history of the tyrants of Sicily by ‘Hugo Falcandus’, 1153–69 A. K. McHardy The reign of Richard II: From minority to tyranny 1377-97 Simon MacLean History and politics in late Carolingian and Ottonian Europe: The Chronicle of Regino of Prüm and Adalbert of Magdeburg Anthony Musson and Edward Powell Crime, law and society in the later Middle Ages Janet L. Nelson The Annals of St-Bertin: Ninth-century histories, volume I Timothy Reuter The Annals of Fulda: Ninth-century histories, volume II R. N. Swanson Catholic England: Faith, religion and observance before the Reformation Elisabeth van Houts The Normans in Europe Jennifer Ward Women of the English nobility and gentry 1066–1500 Visit the site at www.medievalsources.co.uk for further information and subscription prices. TOWNS IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND Selected sources translated and annotated by Gervase Rosser Manchester University Press Copyright © Gervase Rosser 2016 The right of Gervase Rosser to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Published by Manchester University Press Altrincham Street, Manchester M1 7JA www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for ISBN 978 0 7190 4908 8 hardback ISBN 978 0 7190 4909 5 paperback First published 2016 The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guaran- tee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Typeset in Monotype Bell by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire CONTENTS Acknowledgements page ix Editorial note and abbreviations x Introduction 1 I: History and praise 32 1. Legends of the origins of cities 34 2. Description of London c.1173 36 3. Chester’s divine plan 44 4. A poem in praise of Winchester c.1400 45 5. The mayor of Exeter appeals to history 1447–48 46 6. History and civic pride in Bristol 46 7. William Worcester on the cities of England c.1480 48 8. An Italian visitor c.1500 49 II: Urban growth 51 9. Chester in 1086 55 10. Bury St Edmunds in 1086 58 11. Charter of Henry I in favour of the citizens of London 59 12. The liberties and customs of Ipswich 1200 61 13. The foundation of New Salisbury 1228 64 14. Royal foundation of a new town 66 15. A monastic new town: Eynsham 1215 66 16. Dispute over a guild merchant at High Wycombe 1223–24 68 17. Towns and their associations in the thirteenth century 70 III: Economic life 73 18. York civic ordinances 1301 77 19. Admissions to the freedom of York in the fourteenth century 79 20. Craft ordinances of the tailors of York 1386–87 82 21. Ordinances for crafts at Bristol 85 22. Application of the regulations of a merchant guild 89 23. Partnership between two metalworkers 1380s 89 24. Relations between masters and servants in the cloth trade at Worcester 90 25. Apprenticeship 91 26. Women’s rights to conduct a business 94 27. Women as dealers in the marketplace 94 28. Labour for hire 96 29. Contents of shops in London 1378, 1382 96 30. A specialist industry: Nottingham alabaster 98 vi CONTENTS 31. Advertising a new commodity in London c.1479 100 32. Hawkers of goods at Winchester 101 33. Unofficial markets in London 102 34. Internal trade: Southampton in the mid-fifteenth century 103 35. International trade: Hull in the fifteenth century 108 36. The business of the merchant: William Cely 1487 111 IV: Social development 113 37. A fourteenth-century merchant depicted on his tomb 119 38. Two beggars die in London 1253 119 39. Child-stealing to aid a beggar 1373 120 40. The life of the student 121 41. The Jewish communities and the crown 121 42. The Jews of Oxford 122 43. Movable goods of inhabitants of King’s Lynn c.1285–90 124 44. Tax assessment at Shrewsbury 1316 125 45. The importance of reputation and trust 131 46. Social pretensions of the late fourteenth-century townsman and woman 132 47. Material values of a fictional merchantc .1390 134 48. Material desire and spiritual values c.1400 135 49. Foreigners in English towns 1440, 1483 137 50. A poor suitor at Westminster and London 141 V: Urban government 145 51. Customs of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the time of Henry I 148 52. The wardmotes of London 151 53. Local jurisdiction in Norwich 156 54. Sanctuary in the borough 158 55. Exemptions from holding office in York 1476–78 161 56. Defence of the city: the walls of Hereford 161 57. The town as a political stage: public executions c.1400 162 58. Expenses of the mayor of Leicester 163 59. The city of Coventry cultivates royal patronage 1451 165 60. Diplomatic relations: Hull 1464–65 166 61. Preparations for a royal visit to York 1483 167 VI: The environment and quality of life 170 62. Building regulations in twelfth-century London 172 63. Harbour works at Bristol 1240 174 64. A skinner commissions a new town house 1308 175 65. Houses and shops in Cambridge 176 66. Building shops at Westminster 1362–63 178 67. Ideas of public nuisance and private space in London 179 68. Clean water at Winchester 181 69. Water sold in the street 183 CONTENTS vii 70. Water supply at King’s Lynn 1378 183 71. Public hygiene in Nottingham 184 72. Animals in the town 185 73. Street-cleaning at Salisbury 187 74. Street furniture 188 75. Town cattle 189 76. Fuel 189 77. The perception of decline: Winchester in the mid-fifteenth century 190 78. Paving the city streets 192 VII: Tensions and violence 195 79. Monastery and town: Bury St Edmunds 1197 199 80. Complaint of the lesser burgesses of Oxford 1253 201 81. Urban crime in the late thirteenth century 208 82. Dispute between the merchant guild and the abbot of Bury St Edmunds 1304 209 83. Disturbance of the peace in Oxford 1306 212 84. Violence and crime in London 1311 213 85. Students and townspeople at Oxford 1355 214 86. Attack on Italians in London 1359 215 87. A guild at St Albans and the Revolt of 1381 216 88. Revolt in Beverley 1381–82 217 89. Interpersonal violence 219 90. Subversive fraternity of journeymen saddlers of London 1396 221 91.