Law and Records in Medieval England Studies on the Medieval Papacy, Monasteries and Records

The first articles here are concerned with the administration of canon law, the law of the Church, and its application in England in the 12th-15th centuries. At the centre of this law was the Papal court, and Dr Sayers examines how this worked in practice, how cases involving English litigants were dealt with, and by whom. Other articles look at the procedures of the church courts in England, and specific areas of local jurisdiction such as that of monastic archdeacons. In the second group of articles, she turns to records, their compilation, use and retention. Of the texts studied, some relate directly to the church courts, others are privileges or charters. The author seeks to elucidate the diplomatic interest of these documents, and to show how much their study and the study of archives can reveal, whether on the history of a great monastic house, such as the abbey of St Alban, or on the particular significance of a privilege granted to the small leper house of St Giles at Maldon. Additional notes and an extensive index enhance the value of the collection.Sayers, Jane E. is the author of 'Law and Records in Medieval England Studies on the Medieval Papacy, Monasteries and Records' with ISBN 9780860782261 and ISBN 0860782263.