All
 
|
 
 


Poor Relief in an English Medieval Town (the Case of Monastic Town of Reading)
 
PIIS207987840026602-1-1
DOI10.18254/S207987840026602-1
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Anna Anisimova 
Affiliation: Institute of World History RAS
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameISTORIYA
Edition
Abstract

In the article, the example of Reading, a town situated in south-east England, is used to investigate the issue of poor relief in an English medieval town. A distinguishing characteristic of this particular town was that it remained under the monastic rule (local abbey) during the Middle Ages. This fact allows us to discuss the combination and coexistence of monastic and urban charities, in particular, their policy and actions for poor relief. That pairing was quite typical for medieval towns in general, but in these circumstances, it is reasonable to expect a certain inclination. Institutionally, systematic care of poor people took form of a hospital or an almshouse. Originally the monastic house was in the lead, but with the decline of their foundations, in the 15th century the initiative was seized by the townspeople. It was private initiatives of some individuals, but eventually the urban corporation had to, however sometimes informally, take over their care. Short-term support in form of distribution of food, money, and other essentials was undertaken on a regular basis by the monastery, especially as there was a designated official for this purpose — an almoner. The townspeople mostly left something in their bequests, other informal help is impossible to measure. The comparison of the case of Reading with other monastic towns of the same region shows that it was rather atypical for a small seigneurial town in this regard.

Keywordsmedieval England, charity, poor relief, medieval town, monastic town, monasteries, hospitals, almshouses
Received29.03.2023
Publication date31.07.2023
Number of characters62356
Cite  
100 rub.
When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 2, views: 83

Readers community rating: votes 0 

1. Anisimova A. A. Inkorporatsiya byvshikh monastyrskikh gorodov posle Dissolyutsii // Zolotoj vek evropejskikh monarkhij. Politicheskaya kul'tura srednevekov'ya i rannego novogo vremeni / red. I. I. Var'yash, A. Yu. Seregina. SPb., 2019. S. 247—254.
2. Anisimova A. A. Malyj gorod v Srednie veka: opredelenie i osobennosti razvitiya // Srednie veka. 2019. Vyp. 80 (2). S. 64—95.
3. Anisimova A. A. Obschnosti v malom gorode: Organizatsiya gorozhan v monastyrskikh gorodakh Yugo-Vostochnoj Anglii // Gorodskie soobschestva Zapadnoj Evropy v Srednie veka / red. P. Yu. Uvarov, G. A. Popova. M., 2018. S. 165—197.
4. Zakony o rabochikh 1349—1350 gg. // Khrestomatiya pamyatnikov feodal'nogo gosudarstva i prava stran Evropy / per. D. M. Petrushevskij, red. V. M.Koretskij. M., 1961. S. 259—270.
5. Litvinova L. V. Blagotvoritel'nost' // Pravoslavnaya ehntsiklopediya. M., 2002. T. 5. S. 225—334.
6. A History of the County of Berkshire / ed. P. H. Ditchfield, W. Page. Vol. 2. L., 1907.
7. A History of the County of Hertford / ed. W. Page. Vol. 4. L., 1971.
8. Anisimova A. A. Mendicants in the Monastic Towns of South-Eastern England // The Friars in Medieval Britain / ed. N. Rogers. Donington, 2010. P. 319—330.
9. Annales Monasterii de Dunstaplia (A. D. 1—1297) // Annales Monastici / ed. H. R. Luard. Vol. 3. L., 1866. R. 3—420.
10. Baker J. The Oxford History of the Laws of England. Vol. 4: 1483—1558. Oxford, 2003.
11. Bennett J. M. Conviviality and Charity in Medieval and Early Modern England // Past and Present. 1992. No. 134. P. 19—41.
12. Britnell R. The economy of British towns, 1300—1540 // The Cambridge Urban History of Britain / ed. D. Palliser. Cambridge, 2001. P. 313—333.
13. Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous (Chancery). Vol. 7. 1399—1422. L., 1968.
14. Calendar of the Patent Rolls. Henry V. Vol. 1. 1413—1416. L., 1910.
15. Calendar of the Patent Rolls. Henry VI. Vol. 4. 1441—1446. L., 1908.
16. Clark E. Social Welfare and Mutual Aid in the Medieval Countryside // Journal of British Studies. 1994. Vol. 33. No. 4. P. 381—406.
17. Coates C. The History and Antiquities of Reading. L., 1802.
18. Cullum P. H. “For poor people harberless”: what was the function of the maisondieu? // Trade, Devotion and Government: Papers in Later Medieval History / ed. D. J. Clayton, R. G. Davies, P. McNiven. Gloucester, 1994.
19. Cumber J. Tudor Abingdon: the experience of change and renewal in a sixteenth century town. DPhil Thesis. Oxford: University of Oxford, 2010.
20. Dils J. Reading. A History. Lancaster, 2019.
21. Doran J. History and Antiquities of the Town and Borough of Reading in Berkshire. Reading, 1835.
22. Dyer C. Poverty and its Relief in Late Medieval England // Past and Present. 2012. Vol. 216. No. 1. P. 41—78.
23. Dyer C. Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages. Cambridge, 1989.
24. Elton G. R. An Early Tudor Poor Law // The Economic History Review. NS. 1953. Vol. 6. No. 1. P. 55—67.
25. Farnhill K. Guilds and the Parish Community in Late Medieval East Anglia, c. 1470—1550. York; Woodbridge, 2001.
26. French K. L. The People of the Parish: Community Life in a Late Medieval English Diocese. Philadelphia, 2001.
27. Gesta Abbatum Monasterii Sancti Albani, a Thoma Walsingham, regnante Ricardo Secundo, ejusdem ecclesiæ præcentore, compilata / ed. H. T. Riley. L., 1867—1869.
28. Hinton M. A History of the Town of Reading. Reading, 1954.
29. Horden P. Small Beer? The Parish and the Poor and Sick in Late Medieval England // The Parish in Late Medieval England / ed. C. Burgess, E. Duffy. Donington, 2006. P. 339—364.
30. Knowles D. The Religious Orders in England. Cambridge; N. Y.; L., 1979.
31. Knowles D., Hadcock R. N. Medieval Religious Houses: England and Wales. L., 1971.
32. Man J. History and Antiquities, Ancient and Modern, of the Borough of Reading, in the County of Berks. Reading, 1816.
33. McIntosh M. K. Local Responses to the Poor in Late Medieval and Tudor England // Continuity and Change. 1988. No. 3. P. 209—245.
34. McIntosh M. K. Poor Relief in England: 1350—1600. Cambridge, 2012.
35. Nicholls A. Almshouses in Early Modern England: Charitable Housing in the Mixed Economy of Welfare, 1550—1725. Woodbridge, 2017.
36. Orme N., Webster M. The English Hospital, 1070—1570. New Haven; L., 1995.
37. Preston A. E. Christ’s Hospital, Abingdon. Oxford, 1930.
38. Preston A. E. The church and parish of St. Nicholas, Abingdon. Oxford, 1935.
39. Reading Abbey Cartularies / ed. B. R. Kemp. L., 1986—1987.
40. Reading Gild Accounts, 1357—1516 / ed. Slade C. Reading, 2002.
41. Reading Records. Diary of the Corporation / ed. J. M. Guilding. L., 1892. Vol. 1.
42. Reading St. Laurence Churchwardens’ Accounts, 1498—1570 / ed. J. Dils. Reading, 2013. Part 1.
43. Rixon P. The medieval town of Reading. DPhil thesis. Oxford: University of Oxford, 1999.
44. Rosser G. Medieval Westminster, 1200—1540. Oxford, 1989.
45. Rotuli parliamentorum; ut et petitiones, et placita in parliamento. L., 1767—1777. Vol. 3.
46. Rubin M. Charity and Community in Medieval Cambridge. Cambridge, 1987.
47. Rushton N. S., Sigle-Rushton W. Monastic Poor Relief in Sixteenth-Century England // The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 2001. Vol. 32. No. 2. P. 193—216.
48. Slack P. Poverty and Policy in Tudor and Stuart England. L., 1988.
49. Sweetinburgh S. The Role of the Hospital in Medieval England. Gift-Giving and the Spiritual Economy. Portland, 2004.
50. The Statutes of the Realm / ed. A. Luders. L., 1963. Vol. 2—3.
51. Townsend J. A History of Abingdon. L., 1910.
52. Two Cartularies of Abingdon Abbey / ed. Lambrick G., Slade C. F. Oxford, 1992.
53. van Steensel A. Variations in Urban Social Assistance. Some Examples from Late Medieval England and the Low Countries // Assistenza et Solidarietá in Europa, Secc. XIII—XVIII / ed. F. Ammannati. Firenze, 2013. P. 135—150.
54. Westminster Abbey Charters, 1066 — c. 1214 / ed. E. Mason. L., 1988.

Система Orphus

Loading...
Up