Medieval Londoners

Medieval Londoners were a diverse group, some born in the city, others drawn to the capital from across the realm and from overseas. For some, London became the sole focus of their lives, while others retained or developed networks and loyalties that spread far and wide. The rich evidence for the medieval city, including archaeological and documentary sources, means that the study of London and its inhabitants remains a vibrant field. This volume brings together archaeologists, historians, art historians and literary scholars whose essays provide glimpses of medieval Londoners in all their variety.

Medieval Londoners is offered to Caroline M. Barron, Emeritus Professor of the History of London at Royal Holloway, University of London, on the occasion of her eightieth birthday. Her remarkable career – over some fifty years – has revitalized the way in which we consider London and its people. This volume is a tribute to her scholarship and her friendship and encouragement to others. It is thanks to Caroline M. Barron that the study of medieval London remains as vibrant today as it has ever been.

Foreword by Jo Fox   

Introduction: medieval Londoners

Elizabeth A. New

LIVING IN THE CITY

1.  Families in later medieval London: sex, marriage and mortality

Vanessa Harding

2. A portrait of a late medieval London pub: the Star inn, Bridge Street

Justin Colson

3. Huntington Library MS. HM 140: household reading for Londoners?

Julia Boffey

4. Palaeography and forgery: Thomas D.’s Book of the Hartshorn in Southwark

Martha Carlin

5. ‘Go to hyr neybors wher she dwelte before’: reputation and mobility at the London consistory court in the early sixteenth century

Charlotte Berry

THE LURE OF LONDON

6. Aliens, crafts and guilds in late medieval London

Matthew Davies

7. William Styfford (fl. 1437‒66): citizen and scrivener of London and notary imperial

J. L. Bolton

8. Bankers and booksellers: evidence of the late fifteenth century English book trade in the ledgers of the Bardi bank

M. T. W. Payne

9. Nicholas Alwyn, mayor of London: a man of two loyalties, London and Spalding

Anne F. Sutton

LONDONERS REMEMBERED

10. Charity and the city: London Bridge, c. 1176‒1275

John A. McEwan

11. John Reynewell and St. Botolph Billingsgate

Stephen Freeth and John Schofield

12. The testament of Joan FitzLewes: a source for the history of the abbey of Franciscan nuns without Aldgate

Julian Luxford

13. Souls of benefactors at Grey Friars church London

Christian Steer

Afterword: The transformative effect: Caroline Barron as teacher and colleague

Clive Burgess

Doctorates awarded under the supervision of Caroline M. Barron

Index
Tabula Gratulatoria

Fine pieces of scholarship, based on original research. Handsomely produced, with well-chosen illustrations (it is a pleasure not to have to complain in a review about the inadequacy, or even absence, of decent maps), Medieval Londoners advances the study of the medieval capital at the same time as it acclaims the historian (Caroline M. Barron) who has done most to bring it to life.