First full-length survey of the fluid relationship between these two areas at a time of rapid change.
This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the development of northern England and southern Scotland in the formative era of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. How did ‘middle Britain’ come to be divided between twoseparate unitary kingdoms called ‘England’ and ‘Scotland’? How, and how differently, was government exercised and experienced? How did people identify themselves by their languages and naming practices? What major themes can be detected in the development of ecclesiastical structures and religious culture? What can be learned about the rural and the emerging urban environments in terms of lordly exploitation and control, settlement patterns and how the landscape itself evolved? These are among the key questions addressed by the contributors, who bring to bear multi-faceted approaches to medieval ‘middle Britain’. Above all, by pursuing similarities and differences from a comparative ‘transnational’ perspective it becomes clearer how the ‘old’ interacted with the ‘new’, what was exceptional and what was not, and how far the histories of northern England and southern Scotland point to common or not so commonfoundations and trajectories.
KEITH STRINGER is Professor Emeritus of Medieval British History at Lancaster University; ANGUS WINCHESTER is Professor Emeritus of Local and Landscape History at Lancaster University.
Contributors: Richard Britnell, Dauvit Broun, Janet Burton, David Ditchburn, Philip Dixon, Piers Dixon, Fiona Edmonds, Richard Oram, Keith Stringer, Chris Tabraham, Simon Taylor, Angus J.L. Winchester.
Table of Content
Introduction: ‘Middle Britain’ in Context, c.900-c.1300 – Keith Stringer
Kingdom and Identity: A Scottish Perspective – Dauvit Broun
Law, Governance and Jurisdiction – Keith Stringer
Languages and Names – Simon Taylor and Fiona Edmonds
Dioceses, Saints’ Cults and Monasteries – Janet Burton
Parishes and Churches – Richard Oram
Lords and Tenants – Richard H Britnell
Rural Settlement Patterns on the Ground – Piers Dixon
Shielings and Common Pastures – Angus J L Winchester
Town and Trade – David Ditchburn
Fortifications – Philip Dixon and Christopher Tabraham
About the author
Janet Burton is Professor of Medieval History at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter and the author of many books and articles on monastic history.