Women and Parliament in Later Medieval England

156 Pages·2020·1.662 MB·English

by  W. Mark Ormrod

THE NEW MIDDLE AGES
Women and
Parliament in
Later Medieval
England
W. Mark Ormrod
The New Middle Ages
Series Editor
Bonnie Wheeler
English and Medieval Studies
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX, USA
The New Middle Ages is a series dedicated to pluridisciplinary studies of
medieval cultures, with particular emphasis on recuperating women’s
history and on feminist and gender analyses. This peer-reviewed series
includes both scholarly monographs and essay collections.
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14239
W. Mark Ormrod
Women and
Parliament in Later
Medieval England
W. Mark Ormrod
York, UK
The New Middle Ages
ISBN 978-3-030-45219-3 ISBN 978-3-030-45220-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45220-9
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For Rebecca and Helen
P
reface
This study of Women and Parliament in Later Medieval England began
life as a long article and turned rapidly into a short book. I am extremely
grateful to Megan Laddusaw and Allie Troyanos for picking up my ideas
for a Palgrave Pivot with such alacrity, and to Bonnie Wheeler, the editor
of ‘The New Middle Ages’ series, for her support of the project’s inclusion
in the series list.
I record my thanks to Cordelia Beattie, Gwilym Dodd, Judith Frost,
Helen Lacey, Amanda McVitty and Anthony Musson for their helpful
comments on earlier drafts of this study, to Jonathan Mackman and
Shelagh Sneddon for expert readings of documents, and to Shelagh
Sneddon for her work on the index and general checking of the text. The
two anonymous readers for the press sent meticulous notes and provided
generously of their own knowledge, to the general benefit of my text.
At home I have, as always, benefited from the support of Richard
Dobson and our two families. This book is for my nieces, Rebecca Ormrod
and Helen Ormrod, to mark their own distinctive and courageous pursuit
of womanhood.
York, UK
January 2020
vii
c
ontents
1 Introduction: Debates and Sources 1
The History of Parliament 2
Sources and Method 7
Women, Power and Agency 12
References 19
2 Queens and Noblewomen in Parliament 25
Introduction 26
Queens and Parliament 26
Noblewomen and Parliament 31
References 37
3 Women of the Gentry and Lesser Social Status 41
Introduction 42
Femmes Soles as Petitioners in Parliament 42
Married Women as Petitioners in Parliament 44
The Petition of Margaret Basset 46
Conclusion 48
References 51
4 Women on Trial in Parliament 53
Introduction 54
The Trials of Alice Perrers 54
The Trial of Eleanor Cobham 58
References 60
ix
x CONTENTS
5 Female Institutions and Collectives as Petitioners in
Parliament 63
Introduction 64
Nuns as Petitioners in Parliament 64
Lay Female Collectives as Petitioners in Parliament 67
References 72
6 Women’s Issues in Parliament: Dower 75
The Law of Dower 76
Parliamentary Petitions on Dower 76
The Consequences of Rebellion 79
Conclusion 85
References 90
7 Women’s Issues in Parliament: Rape 95
The Law of Rape 96
Parliamentary Petitions on Rape 97
The Frequency of Rape Cases in Parliament 99
Pardons for Rapists 103
Rape and Emotion 105
Conclusion 106
References 111
8 Women, Parliament and the Public Sphere 115
Introduction 116
Women and Work 117
Women and the Public Finances 118
References 122
9 Conclusion: Women Speaking Out in the Medieval
Parliament 125
The Women of London 126
Accessing Royal Grace 127
First-Person Narratives 129
Conclusion 133
References 136
Index 139
a 1
bbreviations
CCR Calendar of the Close Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office,
Henry III–Henry VII, 61 vols (London: His/Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office, 1892–1963).
CFR Calendar of the Fine Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office,
Edward I–Henry VII, 22 vols (London: His/Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office, 1911–1962).
CIM Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous, 1219–1485, 8 vols (London/
Woodbridge: His/Her Majesty’s Stationery Office/Boydell,
1916–2003).
CIPM Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry III–Henry V, 20 vols
(London: His/Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1904–1995).
CPR Calendar of the Patent Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office,
Henry III–Henry VII, 54 vols (London: His/Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office, 1891–1916).
PROME Paul Brand, Seymour Phillips, W. Mark Ormrod, Geoffrey Martin,
Chris Given-Wilson, Anne Curry and Rosemary Horrox, eds, The
Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, 16 vols (Woodbridge:
Boydell, 2005).
RP J. Strachey, ed., Rotuli Parliamentorum, 6 vols (London: Record
Commission, 1767–1777).
RPHI H. G. Richardson and G. O. Sayles, eds, Rotuli Parliamentorum
Anglie Hactenus Inediti, Camden Society 3rd ser. 51
(London, 1935).
SR John Raithby, ed., The Statutes of the Realm, 11 vols (London:
Record Commission, 1810–1828).
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