The Plumpton letters and papers
By: edited by Joan Kirby.
Contributors: Kirby, Joan W.
Series: Camden fifth series ;; v. 8
Publisher: Cambridge University Press for the Royal Historical Society
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Cambridge [England]; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 370
Subjects: Plumpton family -- Correspondence; England -- Social life and customs -- 1066-1485 -- Sources; England -- Social life and customs -- 16th century -- Sources; Great Britain -- History -- House of York, 1461-1485 -- Sources; Great Britain -- History -- Henry VII, 1485-1509 -- Sources; Great Britain -- History -- Henry VIII, 1509-1547 -- Sources
Description: This latest volume in the Royal Historical Society's Camden Fifth Series is a new and comprehensive edition of the only surviving northern medieval letter collection. Of particular value to social and legal historians, Joan Kirby's text contains a wealth of material unavailable to the editor of the previous edition of 1836. The collection offers a vivid day-to-day portrayal of a northern knightly family during a period of decline in the military function of knighthood.

Parochial, proud, violent and litigious, as Percy tenants and feed officials their fortunes fluctuated with those of their patrons; loyalty to the Lancastrian cause in 1461, for example, cost both families loss of life, liberty and office. Two protracted lawsuits drew them deep into the complexities of the legal process and the political patronage on which they depended. The resulting correspondence with their lawyers constitutes a unique primary source for all scholars of medieval England.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Correspondence and papers of Sir William Plumpton, Sir Robert Plumpton, and Sir Edward Plumpton.