The Hundred & The Hundred Rolls: An Outline of Local Government in Medieval England

by Helen Cam

Overview

Originally published in 1930, this book outlines the system of local government at work in the reign of Edward I and provides a guide to the study of the 3 volumes of the Rotuli Hundredorum and Placita Quo Warranto which were printed early in the nineteenth century. The Hundreds were the districts of England into which every county was subdivided. They varied in size and shape but formed an indispensable part of the system of local government. For taxation, justice, police, law and military defence, the Hundred came into play. The Hundred Rolls were a complete statement as to the administration of the counties of England and the Hundred Rolls of 1274-75 are the starting point of this book. In interpreting them one can understand not only the England of Edward I, but the whole system of local government of the early Middle Ages in England.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032984117
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/08/2025
Series:	Routledge Library Editions: Medieval Culture, Society, & Religion
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Helen Cam (1885–1968) was an English historian of the Middle Ages and the first woman to be appointed a tenured professor at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Part 1: Local Government, 1066–1272 1. The King and the Sheriff 1066–1272 2. The Hundred and the Shire 1066–1272 3. Governmental Ideals 1066–1272 Part 2: The Inquests of 1274–5 4. Governmental Inquests 1086–1316 5. The Policy of Edward I 6. The Procedure of 1274–5 7. The Records of the Inquests 1086–1316 Part 3: Local Government in the Light of the Hundred Rolls of 1274–6 8. The Two Aspects of Local Government 9. The Administrative Aspect of the Shire 10. The Hundred and the Hundred Bailiff 11. The Feudal Aspect of the Shire 12. Central Control Part 4: The Sequel to the Inquests of 1274–5 13. Administrative Reform and Judicial Action 14. The Quo Warranto Please 15. Conclusion. Appendix: The Articles of October 11, 1274, in Latin and English 2. The Commissioners of 1274, and their Circuits 3. Hundred Rolls of 1274–5, not printed in the Record Commission Edition 4. The Hundreds of England their Lords, 1274 5. Hundred Court Rolls of a Date Previous to 1307.