Petitions from Lincolnshire, c.1200-c.1500

When the normal channels for righting wrongs or asking favours were unavailable, the people of medieval England petitioned their kings - in parliament, council, or chancery. Lincolnshire’s inhabitants took full advantage of these opportunities, and their stories are told now through their petitions drawn from The National Archives, edited here.

Throughout the county, over three centuries, Lincolnshire’s petitioners sought redress for their wrongs or requested special favours. Petitions were presented by all sections of society: men and women, aristocrats, peasants, merchants, townsmen, bishops, abbots, and other clergy. Their stories illuminate political turmoil, religious and economic change, and the influence of geography. They also show vividly how Lincolnshire’s experience was part of the national, and even international, story.

The introduction to this volume sets the documents within England’s administrative, legal, political, economic and social framework, and is followed by the texts of almost 200 petitions. These were selected from a much greater possible number for their interest and variety; and each is enhanced by extensive notes