Part 1. Introduction ; Method of editing ; Word list and glossary ; Texts: The Abbott's estates ; Texts: The convent's estates -- Part 2. Texts: The convent's estates (continued from Part 1) ; Bibliography ; Index.
Summary:
'Westminster Abbey was one of the wealthiest monasteries in late medieval England. The documents included in this two-part edition provide an unparalleled insight into the adminstration of its lands at a major point of social and economic change either side of the Black Death. The 75 edited documents provide overviews ('states') of the Westminster estate and its revenues, as administered by the abbot and convent separately between c. 1300 and 1422. The states are of two types. The first gives estimates of corn, stock and cash on the manors, made partway through the financial year - this is unusual information to survive across substantial parts of the estate. The second group has little parallel: summarising the manorial accounts across the abbot's or the convent's portion of the lands, the states add information about the management of the estate, its value, arreas and so on. In this edition, the Latin text is given of the accounts up to 1375, after which the material is presented in calendared form. The texts are supplemented by a word list and glossary, and an appendix of the abbot's officials. These documents provide rich evidence of the agricultural economy of medieval England and, at the same time, demonstrate the sophisticated financial and administrative systems the monks employed in a transition from the direct management of their lands to systems of leeseholds.' -- details from publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.