Description
Book SynopsisWills from lower social status shed light on religious, social and cultural history.Lincolnshire has an extensive archive of sixteenth-century probate material, preserved in the registers of the consistory and archdeaconry courts of Lincoln, the peculiar court of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral, and thearchdeaconry court of Stow. Unlike the wills proved by the archiepiscopal probate courts of Canterbury and York, those from Lincolnshire reflect a population of lower social status. The overwhelming majority come from the ranks of husbandmen, yeomen, or tradesmen, rather than the gentry. In this respect the wills offer a valuable source for the cultural and religious preoccupations of the 'middling sort' and those lower in the social spectrum on the eve of the Reformation. Equally, the detailed bequests of property, livestock and land provide an insight into the material culture and prosperity of the testators, as well as extensive genealogical and topographical information of interest to local, regional and family historians.
Trade ReviewA magnificent volume,and follows in a great tradition... a marvellous invitation to the world, the church, and the society we have lost. But, skilfully, it provides a means of finding it again. For those convinced of the usefulness of wills as a historical source, this is a professionally produced volume that will be very useful....A rich collection of primary documents. * SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL *
Table of ContentsThe publication of Lincolnshire wills; LCC 1532-34; the testators; wills as a historical source; religious bequests; editorial method; Lincoln Wills 1532-1534. Appendix: undated or incompletely dated wills.
