Londoners and the Law: pleadings in the court of common pleas 1399-1509

Lead Research Organisation: University of London
Department Name: Inst of Historical Research

Abstract

The project will analyse, and make accessible over the web, information from the court of Common Pleas, one of the two great central courts of common law in late medieval England. The cases to be studied will relate to litigation involving Londoners during the period 1399-1509, and these will shed light on many aspects of the use and perception of the law, as well as Londoners' commercial and other links with the regions.
 
Description 1. A key outcome was a complex database that enabled us to address the key research questions posed. Each case was tagged by writ type and by our own classification - enabling us to gauge the relationship between writ type (eg. debt) and what was actually at issue in the dispute. We also categorised and tagged 'events' described, such as sales of goods, assaults, and bonds. 6,321 pleaded cases were extracted from 130 rolls for 1399-1509 and all mesne process from the

Michaelmas terms of 1400, 1
Exploitation Route The research findings and data will be of most use to local historians, especially those interested in the history of London. They will also be of interest to the legal profession, as the research deals with the development of the common law courts and the lawyers who practised in them.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,,Other
URL http://www.history.ac.uk/projects/research/londoners-and-the-law
 
Title Londoners and the Law Database 
Description The relational database contains information from the records of the Court of Common Pleas for the period 1399-1509, derived from the rolls (Class CP40) in The National Archives. Data from all the cases has been extracted and put online. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact The availability of the online version of the database has facilitated a great deal of new work on individual litigants and other parties in the case, as well as opening up these records for the first time. 
URL http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=1272
 
Description Paper given at IHR Late Medieval Seminar. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Information taken from Final Report
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2008
 
Description Two papers given, CMH@20 conference, IHR. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.)
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Information taken from Final Report
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2008