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PAST Records Workshop: Medieval and Early Modern Legal Records
The Postgraduate Archival Skills Training (PAST) programme offers students a unique opportunity to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to undertake academic research using original records at The National Archives.
This Medieval and Early Modern Legal Records workshop will provide you with the essential skills to identify and access original source material amongst the legal records of central government. During each session you will receive tuition and guidance on a range of archival research skills from our medieval records specialists, and you will also undertake practical exercises involving hands-on document work.
The first day of the workshop will focus on the vast collection of medieval legal records held by The National Archives (c.1215-c.1509). The day will begin with an introduction to the English legal system in the Middle Ages and beyond and its processes, including an introduction to the languages and skills needed to navigate legal records, as well as an overview of officials active in the courts. The following sessions will focus on different areas of medieval law including: common law (King’s Bench and the court of Common Pleas); the rise of equity courts; and the local administration of justice. These sessions will include practical activities designed to guide students in locating and using original cases within TNA’s collections, as well as using material from lesser-used document series to supplement findings and provide dates for undated Chancery petitions.
The second day of the workshop will trace the changes in the legal systems and records held by The National Archives from the early modern period (c.1509-c.1782). The day will begin with an introduction to the early modern legal system, providing a summary of the material covered on day one, as well as covering the key changes taking place in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The following sessions will focus on the different types of court available to litigants during this period, from the common law courts of Westminster, to courts and commissions held outside of London, as well as the conciliar courts of Star Chamber, Requests, and Chancery. In the final session of the day, our records specialists will demonstrate how to trace a single case across several record series using the skills introduced over the day.
At the end of the workshop you will have increased confidence in your ability to find and access previously challenging medieval and early modern legal documents, and to read and understand their contents. This event is aimed at current taught postgraduate and PhD students, although other researchers are welcome to attend. This is a level three workshop within the PAST programme, and will be investigating complex and demanding archival collections, but you will be supported by expert staff throughout. There are no pre-requisites for attendance, although a basic understanding of Latin is recommended.
This is a two-day workshop on site at The National Archives. Tea and coffee at registration and lunch are provided. While we recommend that students attend both days of this workshop, there is also the option to attend only one day. Please ensure you select the relevant ticket option when booking.
For more information about the PAST programme please see The National Archives’ website or email past@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
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Programme
Tuesday 16 June 2020 Day One (Medieval)
09.30-10:00 Registration and Coffee
- Tea, coffee & pastries in the public restaurant area
- You may also use this time to register for a Reader’s Ticket if you wish to order documents to view after day one. Please note, you do not need a Reader’s Ticket to participate in the workshop, but the reading rooms are open until 7pm if you wish to pursue your own research. Please note that this is not compulsory, and any evening work will be private research, without tutors from the course present. Details of the documents you need for a Reader’s Ticket can be found here
10:00-11:00 Session 1: Introduction to Medieval Law
- This introductory session will give you an overview of the legal systems in place in medieval England, and an introduction into how the mechanics of the law worked, including the different ways in which individuals could seek justice through the law
- It will also provide an introduction into the languages and skills needed to navigate legal records, and an overview of the legal officials active within the medieval courts
11:00-12:00 Session 2: Common Law Courts (I) – King’s Bench
- This session, the first of two covering the medieval common law courts, will focus on the Court of King’s Bench and its records, including the ‘Coram Rege’ rolls among lesser known document series. Students will receive an overview of the court and its records, before tracing a case study through the records and learning how different documents were produced throughout the course of a case
12:00-12:45 Lunch
- Lunch of sandwiches, crisps and fruit served outside the Events Space on the first floor
12:45-13:45 Session 3: Common Law Courts (II) – Common Pleas
- This session, the second of two covering the medieval common law courts, focuses on the Court of Common Pleas and its records, including the plea rolls known as ‘De Banco’ rolls. Students will be given an overview of the court and how its records were produced and stored, before taking part in practical exercises in finding and recording cases in the plea rolls
13:45-14:00 Break
14:00-15:15 Session 4: Equity Courts – Chancery and Council
- This session will examine the rise of equity courts in the fifteenth century, as well as the role of the council in the administration of justice. Focusing on the Court of Chancery in particular – but with reference to the Star Chamber and Court of Requests – students will have an opportunity to go beyond the information currently available in TNA’s online catalogue, Discovery, and learn how to find dates and other supplementary material through practical exercises using original documents
15:15-15:30 Break
15:30-16:30 Session 5: Local Justice
- The final session of day one examines how justice was administered outside of the central law courts. It provides an overview of the options available to individuals seeking justice, after which students will have the chance to examine original records and take part in practical exercises
16:30-16:45 Wrap up and Questions
17:00 Close of Day One
- After the close of day one, the reading rooms will be open for students wishing to undertake their own research. Please note that this is optional and any evening work will be private research, without tutors from the course present. Students will need to order documents during the day, in advance of document ordering closing times.
Wednesday 17 June 2020 Day Two (Early Modern)
09:00-09.30 Registration and Coffee
- Tea, coffee & pastries in the public restaurant area
- Students who are only attending day two will need to register during this time
09.30-10:30 Session 1: Introduction to Early Modern law
- This session will recap some of the key points from day one, giving an overview of aspects of the medieval legal system in England, and assessing how this system changed at key points in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This will include an overview of legal education in the early modern period
10:30-12:00 Session 2: Conciliar Justice
- This session will introduce conciliar justice in the early modern period, the main courts where individuals could seek justice, how these courts functioned, and how to use their records effectively. This session expands on material covered in Session 4 on day one, and includes practical exercises in using original records
12:00-12:45 Lunch
- Lunch of sandwiches, crisps and fruit served outside the Events Space on the first floor
12:45-13:45 Session 3: Early Modern Common Law
- This session builds on Sessions 2 and 3 from day one, and examines how the common law courts and their records changed in the early modern period. Students will learn to locate and use records from these complex and often underused early modern collections through practical work with original documents
13:45-14:00 Break
14:00-15:00 Session 4: Regional Justice
- This session covers early modern justice outside Westminster, and provides an overview of how the assize courts, town and county depositions, Admiralty depositions, and other forms of regional justice worked in practice, before students will take part in practical work with these original documents
15:00-15:15 Break
15:15-16:30 Session 5: Building a Case
- This session will end the workshop with case studies demonstrating how to trace a court case throughout several document series. Students will be talked through the process and will have the opportunity to work out how different documents fit together. This session will include examples from both the conciliar courts and common law, and will include both early modern and medieval sources