Approaching Pipe Rolls

Exploring the annual records of debts owed and payments made to the medieval English central government, this book explains how the pipe rolls of the thirteenth century worked and how to find information in them. The book begins by introducing the rolls, the historical background and how they evolved over time. It is then divided into three parts, the first Reading the rolls provides a physical description, their location and access, readability and topics covered such as: county farms, amercements, fines etc. and lastly what the pipe rolls leave out. The second part offers a case studies of the 1259 pipe roll which shows what the roll of a particular year can tell us about that year's finances, about the events of that year and how the pipe rolls fit into the Exchequer's system of interlocking rolls. The third part shows how a series of rolls can be used to track a particular debt or category of debt over time, demonstrating how the debt was incurred, then transferred to the pipe roll, then copied from one roll to the next until the debt was paid, pardoned or written-off. Serving as a guide for beginners, Approaching Pipe Rolls is useful to the study of medieval England, local history, the history of justice, family studies and administration. As such, this book is a valuable source for those interested in social and economic aspects of medieval history.