Explore a key slice of medieval justice in the Channel Islands.
This edition presents the 1309 assize roll, shedding light on how law, custom, and daily life intersected in Guernsey, Jersey, Sark, and Alderney.
The volume introduces the historical context of the Assizes, explains who the Justices-Itinerant were, and explains how these records reveal the islands’ governance, church ties, and local customs. It includes the pleas, Crown and Common pleas, and the important sections on quo warranto, gaol delivery, and royal revenues. Readers will see how jurors, jurats, and island communities presented their cases and claimed local laws, alongside the Crown’s authority, during a pivotal moment in the islands’ separation from Normandy.
- Learn how medieval courts operated on the islands and who served as judges, jurors, and local officials.
- Discover the kinds of cases that filled the rolls, from theft and debt to civil disputes and royal claims.
- See how local customs and rights were contested and documented in the legal process.
- Understand the broader historical context of the Channel Islands’ governance after the Norman Conquest.
Ideal for readers of medieval history, legal history, and Channel Islands studies seeking a window into how law and daily life intertwined in 14th-century island societies.