![]() The chief pledges were responsible for the behaviour of those in their Tithing.”įrankpledge represented a conflation of an ancient Saxon system of mutual surety with Norman modifications. Each Tithing was presided over by one, or sometimes two, chief pledges. Each frankpledge unit was based, in theory, upon a vill or township, and each unit was divided into a number of Tithings, or decennae, which, as their name implies, were intended to contain ten men. Wealthy freemen were exempt, their status surety in itself for their good conduct women and clergy were also exempt. All males, both free and servile, over the age of 12 were expected to be members of frankpledge. “The main function of the frankpledge system was to provide mutual surety: the good behaviour of an individual member of the community was the responsibility of that individual’s kin and neighbours. Far from the rather romantic images conveyed by Chaucer’s contemporary Canterbury Tales, the England of 1388 was more bubonic than bucolic. By 1388, the affairs of the country had reached a nadir. His ensuing reign was marked by conflict with parliament, religious turmoil and financial distress due to an escalation of the hundred year war with France involving Scotland also, civil strife bordering on war cumulating in his probable effective deposition in 1387. The ensuing conflict between an establishment attempting to reassert its feudal rights and return to the status quo ante, poll taxes, and the economic and political reality of a more mobile and powerful peasantry lead directly to the Peasants’ revolt of 1381, a mere seven years before, crushed by a combination of both courage bordering on the delusional, and deceit by a 14 year old Richard II. The Black Death of 1348-50 had killed nearly half the population of England and recurred repeatedly notably in 1361–62, 1369, 1379–83, 1389–93 which allowed the surviving peasants to consolidate land and demand higher wages. See also the English and Latin Transcript of the the roll. Please note images are copyright as marked. (this may vary slightly between browsers) Or you then enter “N” to open another browser, or by opening another browser, and cutting and pasting the link from one to the other, this article and the images will display so you are able to view them at the same time. ![]() Shift click one each of the images and link below which will open in new browser windows, if you click again on these you can zoom to see the image full size. This article explains the cultural, historical background before examining the contents most of which would be otherwise incomprehensible to the modern reader after an interval 627 years even subsequent to modern English translation from medieval Latin.įinally, it asks the question to what extent, Frankpledge, and the habits of mind so formed, affect us today. This is not the earliest surviving record of Headington, but perhaps the earliest record by Headington ( Hedyndon), Wick ( Vuke) and Marston ( Mershton) where we can gain a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people who lived in our community over six hundred years ago. There is nothing exceptional about either the content of the Headington Court(s) of 1388 or indeed its survival – many other Court Rolls still exist from the 1240s, probably numbering in the low thousands. On the seventh day (the octave) after feast of St George, on a Thursday, in the eleventh year of the reign of Richard II after the conquest, or on April 30 th 1388, the Manor of Headington, near Oxford, held its six monthly View of Frankpledge, together with its three weekly Court Baron. The Court Rolls of the Manor of Headington Part 1 – A View of Frankpledge & The Headington Manor Court of 1388 Introduction
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