Table of Contents

1. Introduction; Part I. Changing Patterns of Thought in the Fourteenth Century: 2. The beginning of the Hundred Years War and the struggle against the nocturnal underworld; 3. Speaking of sturdy beggars: the Great Plague, labour law and changing patterns of thought; 4. John of Northampton's morality campaign: stigmatisation, marginalisation and the legitimation crisis of the urban oligarchy; Part II. Institutions on the Frontiers of the Fifteenth-Century Underworld: 5. Localising the underworld: the wardmotes as status degradation ceremonies; 6. Rewarding the shamefaced poor: charity in the almshouse; 7. Preventing the expansion of the underworld: proclamations and punishments; 8. Conclusion.

Promotional Information

A fresh approach to the social and cultural history of late medieval London.

About the Author

Frank Rexroth is Professor of Medieval History at the Institute for Medieval and Modern History, University of Goettingen.

Reviews

"This is primarily a study of how the law was used to contain and punish the marginalized. It is enriched with much parallel material, especially from the Germanic countries. As the publisher hopes, this will be of interest to scholars in the fields of medieval London and England, urban history, and the history of crime."
Sixteenth Century Journal, John Schofield, Museum of London, England