The Chancery Rolls as a record of trans-Angevin ruling in the early years of King John, 1199-1206: A study in the production of the printed editions under the nineteenth-century Record Commissions and the creation and use of the original manuscripts stored in The National Archives.

Woodhouse, Edward (2022) The Chancery Rolls as a record of trans-Angevin ruling in the early years of King John, 1199-1206: A study in the production of the printed editions under the nineteenth-century Record Commissions and the creation and use of the original manuscripts stored in The National Archives. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

Preview

PDF Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the chancery rolls for the first six years of King John’s reign. Part one undertakes a critical re-examination of the printed editions of the rolls. These editions, produced by the Record Commissions between 1800 and 1844, are the texts on which historians rely to understand the documents from which we write the history of John's reign. Part one demonstrates the inadequacy of relying on these editions for our understanding of the processes and origins of chancery enrolments. Part two uses codicological techniques to place the rolls within the contemporary context of the years 1199 to 1204. It establishes that the current archival organisation of the rolls is not always reflective of their contemporary setting and suggests re-cataloguing certain rolls within TNA's archival organisation. The codicological study adds weight to the argument that the rolls were introduced in 1199, probably linked with Hubert Walter's appointment as chancellor. Part three engages with the letters close issued from John's chancery to demonstrate that the extant rolls were supported by a series of lost rolls compiled by regency administrations in John’s various domains.

The thesis mostly concentrates on 1199 to 1204 for two reasons. First, this period sees the beginnings of chancery enrolments - or at least the beginnings of those that have survived to us. Second, the chancery followed John on his daily itineraries. After December 1203, apart from brief excursions, John was confined to England. Before 1204 we witness John and his chancery operating in a pan-Angevin setting. How John's chancery reflected the multiple polities which he ruled is the central question this thesis seeks to address. Its answers should add to what can be said about Angevin rule of their territories before the collapse of the dynasty's power under King John.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Nicola Veasy
Date Deposited:	31 May 2023 11:12
Last Modified:	31 May 2023 11:12
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/92208
DOI:

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item