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IMC 2011: Sessions

Session 1525: Law and Society in Later Medieval England

Thursday 14 July 2011, 09.00-10.30

Moderator/Chair:April Harper, Department of History, State University of New York, Oneonta
Paper 1525-aRich in Friends If Poor in Morals: Criminal Scholars at Oxford
(Language: English)
Scott Jenkins, Department of History & Classics, Swansea University
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Education, Politics and Diplomacy, Social History
Paper 1525-bWearing Religion on Her Sleeve: Clothing and Identity in The Book of Margery Kempe
(Language: English)
Amanda Jeffreys, McMaster University, Ontario
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Religious Life
Paper 1525-cThe Distribution of Illegal Livery Cases in England in the 15th Century
(Language: English)
Gordon McKelvie, Department of History, University of Winchester
Index terms: Law, Local History
Abstract

Paper -a:
Scholars at Oxford were protected by influential friends and patrons. The nobility, papacy, university and royal authorities all sought to protect the university, and her interests, at the expense of justice. Scholars who committed crimes ranging from theft, heresy, riot and outright rebellion were often treated lightly, not punished at all, or even rewarded for their crimes. Why were these authorities so keen to avoid punishing these criminal scholars? Through an analysis of various source material and archival records a picture of what each political entity sought to gain from protecting and sheltering the university can be painted.

Paper -b:
While sumptuary legislation was being enacted throughout England to regulate physical appearance in an effort to maintain the social hierarchy, Margery Kempe was using transitions in clothing as a methaphor for her deepening religious convictions. Margery Kempe's construction of identity through clothing exemplifies the presence of these concerns within religious perception and highlights how violations of accepted notions of clothing based identity resulted in conflict. Through examining both her religious and social status Margery Kempe's interpretation and use of clothing in her work sheds light on the pervasive nature of sumptuary legislation in the 14th- and 15th-century England.

Paper -c:
Bastard feudalism (a set of relationships which allowed the English aristocracy to obtain the service and manpower they required from their social inferiors) has been regarded as both a source of social disruption but also part of the normal fabric of society. Illegal livery, has long been associated with attempts to eradicate the socially disruptive elements of bastard feudalism, but thus far discussions of the cases have been limited in scope. From an examination of the records of the King's Bench this paper will discuss the distribution, both chronological and geographical, of the cases of illegal livery in England during the 15th.