Later Medieval Inquisitions Post Mortem : Mapping the Medieval Countryside and Rural Society

The Inquisitions post mortem (IPMs) are a truly wonderful source for many different aspects of late medieval countryside and rural life. They have recently been made digitally accessible and interrogatable by the Mappingthe Medieval Countryside project, and the first fruits of these developments are presented here. The chapters examine IPMs in connection with the landscape and topography of England, in particular markets and fairs and mills;and consider the utility of proofs of age for everyday life on such topics as the Church, retaining, and the wine trade.

MICHAEL HICKS is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Winchester.

Contributors: Katie A. Clarke, William S. Deller, Paul Dryburgh, Christopher Dyer, Janette Garrett, Michael Hicks, Matthew Holford, Gordon McKelvie, Stephen Mileson, Simon Payling, Matthew Tompkins, Jennifer Ward.

Table of Contents

Introduction - Michael Hicks
Records of an Imperial Administration? IPMs in Scotland and Calais - Gordon McKelvie, Reviews Editor
Inquisitions Post Mortem in Medieval Ireland - Paul Dryburgh
The Court of the Honour of Clare, 1308-1360: Feudal Incidents and Inquisitions - Jennifer C Ward
Landscape, Farming and Society in an English Region: the Inquisitions Post Mortem for the West Midlands, 1250-1509 - Christopher Dyer
Beyond the Dots: Mapping Meaning in the Later Medieval Landscape - Stephen Mileson
Fairs and Markets in the Inquisitions Post Mortem - Matthew Holford
The Structure of the Milling Industry 1427-37 - Matthew Tompkins
Proofs of Age 1246 to 1430: their Nature, Veracity and Use as Sources - William Deller
What went on in the Medieval Parish Church 1377-1447, with particular reference to Churching - Katie Clarke
Retainers, Monks and Wine: Three Insights into Everyday Life - Michael Hicks
The Administration and Efficiency of the Inquisitions Post Mortem Process. A Case Study of Northumberland - Janette Garrett
Late Medieval Land Disputes and the Manipulation of the Inquisitions Post Mortem - Simon J. Payling

Michael Hicks is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Winchester. He is an historian of Late medieval England, especially the nobility and the Wars of the Roses. Other academic interests are the Late medieval English church, especially chantries, and English regional and local history. He devised and directed the project on English inland trade.