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IMC 2003: Sessions

Session 217: Power and Place: Experiences of Authority in Medieval Landscapes

Monday 14 July 2003, 14.15-15.45

Sponsor:Canterbury Centre for Medieval & Tudor Studies, University of Kent at Canterbury
Organiser:Melanie G. Caiazza, Centre for Medieval & Early Modern Studies (MEMS), University of Kent
Moderator/Chair:Nick J. Corcos, Independent Scholar, Weston-super-Mare
Paper 217-aAncient Boundaries and Monuments: The Creation of Subservience in the Christian and Anglo-Saxon Landscape
(Language: English)
Alex Langlands, Department of Archaeology, University of Winchester
Index terms: Archaeology - General, Archaeology - Sites, Mentalities
Paper 217-bClarendon Palace, Park and Forest: Royal Power and Authority in a Wiltshire Medieval Landscape
(Language: English)
Amanda Richardson, Departments of History & Archaeology, King Alfred's College, Winchester
Index terms: Archaeology - General, Architecture - General, Local History, Social History
Paper 217-c'Next to John Holland's Hedge': Late Medieval Peasant Experiences of Authority in a Small Island Landscape
(Language: English)
Melanie G. Caiazza, Centre for Medieval & Early Modern Studies (MEMS), University of Kent
Index terms: Anthropology, Local History, Mentalities, Social History
Abstract

This session explores power and authority in a variety of medieval landscapes. Current landscape history research has concentrated on the significance of castles, however, places ranging from royal palaces to peasant freehold property, have yet to be thoroughly examined with regard to local meanings of authority in the landscape. The session papers consider archaeological and documentary evidence that reveal a range of landscape experiences from the early to late Middle Ages. Topics discussed will include research methodologies, the significance of local authority in shaping experience, the role of family networks, and the importance of prehistoric monuments in the medieval landscape.