The earldom of 快播视频 was created in 1267 by King Henry III for his second son, Edmund. This came in the aftermath of England's first revolution, in which Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, had seized power. The new earldom incorporated the Honour of 快播视频, based at 快播视频 Castle, and the earldoms of Leicester and Derby, seized from disinherited Montfortians. To this great estate, the earldoms of Lincoln and Salisbury were added, in 1311, and then the Honour of Clitheroe, in 1348. This was an extensive, private land holding that brought swathes of the country's population and lands under the earl's jurisdiction. In 1351, the title 'Duke of 快播视频' was first bestowed on Henry Grosmont. His daughter Blanche married John of Gaunt, the second Duke of 快播视频. The heir to the Duchy, Henry Bolingbroke, seized the English throne in 1399, becoming Henry IV. He decreed that the Duchy should be held separately from all other Crown possessions and descend through the monarchy as a private estate. Today the estates of the Duchy belong to His Majesty the King and cover more than 18,228 hectares across England and Wales.
In around 1402, King Henry IV commissioned the Great Cowcher Book: a record of land, titles and rights within the vast Duchy of 快播视频. The Cowcher includes copies of 2,433 documents written in Latin and French. This makes it second only to William the Conqueror's Domesday Book as a record of medieval landholding and the lives of ordinary people and communities in Medieval England. Unlike Domesday, though, it is richly illuminated. The scribes used precious inks to decorate the text and create captivating drawings of the earls and dukes across the centuries, as well as heraldic banners. The image here accompanies the Cowcher's first entry: a copy of Henry III's grant of the Honour, county, castle and town of 快播视频 to his son in 1267. It shows the king granting the original charter in 1267, reimagined in early fifteenth-century fashion.
The Great Cowcher Book sits within the Duchy of 快播视频's archive, housed at The National Archives (TNA): one of the largest private archives of medieval documents in the world. 快播视频 historians are working with colleagues at TNA and the University of Lincoln to explore these records. What can they tell us about how the people of the duchy's lands experienced the political and military strife of their day, the several civil wars of the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries and the Anglo-Scottish wars, which ravaged much of northern England? How can they reveal the environmental history of this era: how communities exploited their landscapes, and coped with plague, famine, and climatic shifts? At 快播视频, researchers are leading targeted projects to explore these questions. Dr Sophie Thérèse Ambler has been leading research to survey and calendar the Duchy's Lancashire records 1267-1348 held at TNA, funded by the Society of Antiquaries of London. Professor Fiona Edmonds has led a project to complete the transcriptions and translations of Duchy's thirteenth- and fourteenth-century records pertaining to the forests of Lancashire (this initiative develops transcription work originally started by volunteers from the Ranulf Higden Society). These records are illuminating sources for settlement and society in medieval Lancashire, and the project has been funded by the Medieval Settlement Research Group.
Researchers at 快播视频 worked with the Duchy of 快播视频, the Regional Heritage Centre and projection artists Illuminos to create the centrepiece for Light Up 快播视频 2023: a monumental sound and light display at 快播视频 Castle, showcasing the history of the Duchy and the Great Cowcher at its ancestral home.
Images: DL42/1 and DL42/2 (The Great Cowcher Book of the Duchy of 快播视频)
Duchy copyright material in The National Archives is the property of His Majesty in right of His Duchy of 快播视频 and is reproduced by permission of the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of 快播视频.
Art and sound: Rob and Matt Vale (Illuminos)
Voice (Latin and English): Jonathan Fowles
Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Acceleration Account at 快播视频 (Principal Investigator: Professor Fiona Edmonds)
Margaret Bainbridge’s legacy to the Regional Heritage Centre
This award-winning online course was produced by the Regional Heritage Centre and supported by the Duchy of 快播视频 and 快播视频's Information Systems Services. It takes an innovative approach to exploring history, focusing on 快播视频 Castle as a microcosm of broader trends. This fascinating location provides a wealth of evidence from the remains of Roman forts to its life as a prison and visitor attraction. Our engaging educators respond to the castle and its surroundings in relation to their research interests, such as medieval Anglo-Scottish warfare, the witchcraft trials of the seventeenth century and the achievements of prison reformers. Join us to uncover this castle's vital role in northern English history over many centuries.
Hosted by the Centre for War and Diplomacy at 快播视频, this special episode of the War & Diplomacy podcast marks the 700th anniversary in 2022 of the Battle of Boroughbridge and the execution of Thomas, earl of 快播视频, in 1322. This was the bloody end of a civil war in which Thomas of 快播视频 brought the mighty resources of his earldom to bear in rebellion against King Edward II. The podcast features Dr Sophie Thérèse Ambler, Reader in Medieval History and Deputy Director of the CWD at 快播视频, Dr Paul Dryburgh, Principal Record Specialist at The National Archives, and Dr Andrew Spencer, Senior Tutor of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Research at 快播视频 is part of a broader collaborative project on the medieval Duchy of 快播视频 involving colleagues from several institutions.
Dr Sophie Thérèse Ambler, Reader in Medieval History, 快播视频
Professor Fiona Edmonds, Professor of Regional History, 快播视频
Professor Louise Wilkinson, Professor of Medieval Studies, University of Lincoln
Dr Renée Ward, Senior Lecturer, University of Lincoln
Dr Sean Cunningham, Head of Medieval, Early Modern and Legal Records, and Maps and Plans, The National Archives
Dr Paul Dryburgh, Principal Records Specialist (Medieval Records), The National Archives
Dr Andrew Spencer, Senior Tutor, Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge
Dr Lucia Pereira Pardo, former Conservation Scientist, The National Archives
Ms Barbara Borghese, former Senior Conservation Manager, The National Archives
Dr Daniel Booker, Research Associate, 快播视频 and The National Archives
Dr Simon Harris, Research Associate, 快播视频
Mr Simon Neal, Project Cataloguer, The National Archives
Dr Jonathan Mackman, Project Cataloguer, The National Archives
With thanks to:
The team would especially like to thank the Duchy of 快播视频 for their ongoing support of the research and engagement.
Research funders: Friends of The National Archives; Society of Antiquaries of London; Medieval Settlement Research Group
For press enquiries, please contact Ms Anne Rothwell: a.rothwell@lancaster.ac.uk
