Violence and Affray in Herefordshire During the Early Tudor Period (1485-1547)

Abstract:     
The traditional view of the Welsh Marches as being lawless lands inhabited by culturally degenerate people fits uneasily with the picture provided by legal records concerning early Tudor Herefordshire. Analysis of legal documents about violence in Herefordshire between 1485-1547 drawn from a variety of courts (village courts, city courts, county court, the court of King’s Bench, the Star Chamber, ecclesiastical courts) reveals fascinating insights into socio-economic and gender regulation within the county. Motives for violence in early Tudor Herefordshire, like violence perpetrated in lowland England, revolved around five general areas which often overlapped: land, money, honour, reputation and grudges.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 20

Keywords: England, legal history, english legal history, King's Bench, Star Chamber, Britain, Tudor, Herefordshire, violence, Welsh Marches

JEL Classification: K00, K49

Accepted Paper Series