Ladies and gentlemen: the cream of English society, 1200-1500

Aims

This course aims to: 

• highlight the richness of the source material for the history of the English medieval nobility 
  and gentry
• indicate what was distinctive about the experience of the upper groups of English 
  medieval society
• examine in detail the lives of selected members of the English medieval upper classes

Content

The nobility and gentry were the leaders of English medieval lay society, the wealthy landowning elite who, at the highest level, mediated the flow of patronage from the crown and whose roots in the ownership of land made them the informal rulers of the shires. Thanks to the survival of large numbers of their household and estate accounts, and thanks too to the survival of the remarkable letter collection of the Paston family, we can construct a vivid picture of their daily lives, the social and political worlds they inhabited, and the ways in which they used their spending on religion to prepare for the world to come.

At the beginning of the course an attempt will be made to define the nobility and gentry, with the aim of showing who they were, what titles they used and how newcomers to their ranks were recruited. Next, the group’s lifestyle will be considered, with its varied mix of family preoccupations, socialising with neighbours, serving in local government, performing military service and ensuring the maintenance of personal and family honour and repute. This session 
will lead into two more sharply focused studies, one a consideration of the Paston family, whose extensive letter collection preserved in the British Library affords a unique insight into the life of a Norfolk family in the Wars of the Roses; and the other, a study of a list of Lincolnshire gentry landowners which offers a snapshot of landowning society in that county towards the end of the 14th century. The course will round off with a look at the personal religion of the upper classes through the prism of the wills they drew up at the point of death which often afford sometimes extraordinarily detailed insights into their concerns and priorities.

Presentation of the course 

This course will be taught in five informal classes with PowerPoint presentations; ample opportunity will be afforded for questions and discussion.

Course sessions

1. Nobility and Gentry 
   The composition of the English upper classes; the titles of honour which were used and how these were elaborated over the centuries; and how the English conception of nobility differed from that widely used in continental Europe.
2. Living Nobly 
   Style of life and manner of dress; affective relationships between spouses and between parents and children; the role of women; physical surroundings; competitiveness spilling over into violence; participation in local government and military service.
3. The Pastons 
   A dip into the Paston letter collection to savour something of the often turbulent lives of three generations of the Paston family in 15th-century Norfolk.
4. Lincolnshire Lives 
   What we can learn of Lincolnshire society in the late 14th century from a list of over 400 knights and gentlemen compiled in response to an order from Richard II’s government in 1388.
5. At the End of Life 
   A look at some wills to see what they tell us about how the testators prepared for the world to come; and a glance at a selection of tomb effigies to see how those commemorated wished to have themselves represented.

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to gain an appreciation of the distinctiveness of upper-class life in England in the Middle Ages
• to indicate the richness of the source material for aristocratic society in the Middle Ages
• to demonstrate how the source material can be used to bring medieval people to life

Required reading

McFarlane, K B, The Nobility of Later Medieval England (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1973)

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.