Social Context

The social realities of the historical period we're interested in are highly complex and difficult to get a good grasp of. Indeed, our knowledge and understanding of the socio-political context of the 14th century is always evolving and (hopefully) improving. Below are some links to articles that can help provide some perspective on how people lived and thought during our period. An important part of this process is overcoming common misconceptions about the middle ages (including the term "middle ages" itself), most of which we have inherited uncritically from Renaissance humanists, Enlightenment philosophes, industrial techno-progressives, and Victorian prudes. :)

Why Are the Middle Ages Often Characterized as Dark or Less Civilized?
An explanation of why the middle ages are called "the middle ages," i.e. because Renaissance humanists were kind of mean. http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2015/01/15/medieval_history_why_are_the_middle_age_often_characterized_as_dark_or_less.html

How the Middle Ages Really Were
Another article by the author of the article above, but with different and more extensive content. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/how-the-middle-ages-reall_b_5767240.html

Myths About the Middle Ages
A list of myths about the medieval era (even though the use of "myth" in this way is itself a prejudicial pejorative characteristic of the modern era), with links to articles etc. http://web.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/medmyths.html

Misconceptions About the Middle Ages
A sort of e-book based out of the University of Massachusetts hosted by a Medieval Studies website. http://www.the-orb.net/non_spec/missteps/miscon.html

Old Age, Height, & Nutrition in Medieval England
A document dealing with some misconceptions about life expectancy, height, and nutrition in medieval people. http://sirguillaume.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Old_Age-Height-Nutrition.pdf

The Disastrous 14th Century
https://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/WestTech/x14thc.htm

14th century Timeline
A semi-detailed timeline from 1300-1400: http://www.fsmitha.com/time/ce14.htm

The End of Europe's Middle Ages
A tutorial from the University of Calgary that provides an overview of medieval history, with a focus on conditions in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/endmiddle/

Club Library
Our club library has the following books available for one-month loan to members in good standing:
 * British History
 * Caxton: The Description of Britain (hardcover)
 * Dark History of the Kings and Queens of England: 1066 to the Present Day (hardcover)
 * Historical Facts: The Middle Ages (hardcover)
 * A History of England: The Middle Ages
 * The Hollow Crown: A History of Britain in the Late Middle Ages (hardcover)
 * The Middle Ages: A Concise Encyclopedia

Social Organization, the Class System, and the Three Estates
We need a lot more information on this topic it would appear. So far this is all we have in our club lists:

Medieval Manors and their Records
An explanation of the manorial system in medieval Britain. http://www.buildinghistory.org/manors.shtml

Flemish Social Organization in 1302
http://www.liebaart.org/vlaand_e.htm

List of Prices in the Middle Ages
http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medprice.htm

The Luttrell Psalter Film
A short film based on the 14th century Luttrell Psalter, depicting scenes of medieval rural life. http://www.luttrellpsalter.org.uk/

Christina: A Medieval Life
A BBC program (1 hour) on the 14th century female peasant, Christina Cok. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ZeeiPSGAw

Club Library
Our club library has the following books available for one-month loan to members in good standing:
 * A History of Private Life: Revelations of the Medieval World
 * The Complete Canterbury Tales (hardcover)
 * Life in a Medieval Castle
 * Life in Medieval England (two copies?)
 * A Medieval Home Companion (hardcover)
 * Medieval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Ages

Occupational Surnames from Lincolnshire
A whole bunch of occupational surnames from the archives of Lincolnshire, England. http://www.lincstothepast.com/learning-and-resources/historic-environment-record-lr/explore-historic-grantham-(her)/medieval-grantham/teachers%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99-notes-medieval/surnames/256.article

A Brief History of Surnames
Brief explanations of medieval patronymics, place surnames, personal charateristics surnames, occupational surnames, and inherited surnames. http://www.lisagenealogy.com/Surmean/surhist.html

Medieval Surnames
A shorter list of mostly occupational but some personal characteristic surnames from goodness knows where on the Internet. Could be a crappy source. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_surnames.htm

SCA Resource on Medieval Bynames (non-hereditary surnames)
Looks to be a well-sourced article, although the authors refer to "their period" without mentioning which period it is. http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/bynames/

The Edmonton Hundred Historical Society
The UK historical society devoted to the history of the 100th of Edmonton, the geograpical location our living history club purports to represent. http://n21.net/edmonton-hundred-historical-society.html

Edmonton Hundred (British History Online)
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol5/pp128-129

Edmonton -- Introduction (British History Online)
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol5/pp130-133

Daniel Lysons, The Environs of London, Volume 1, Part 2, pp. 164-179
A Google Books scan of a book which lists what appears to be the lords who held manors in the Edmonton Hundred during the 14th century! http://books.google.be/books?id=UykGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=edmonton+hundred+manors&source=bl&ots=tOguouJda-&sig=svkonkXF6tCEmKtiHHYT7_zUeV8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Yp6DVOXkCcOwUY-XgvAP&ved=0CDgQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=edmonton%20hundred%20manors&f=false

Maps of Edmonton Hundred

 * The Hundredth of Edmonton in the Doomsday Book of 1086 (map dates to 1820) http://www.n21.net/edmonton-hundred-historical-society-about-the-edmonton-hundred-historical-society.html
 * Doomsday Book Map of the Edmonton Hundred (date of map unknown)
 * London and Viscinity 1200-1600 (date of map unknown). Note the location of "Tottenham," which was within the Edmonton Hundred.London Viscinity 1200-1600.jpg
 * London c.1300, but only the urban area. Edmonton Hundred isn't shown.London 1300.jpg
 * Map of Edmonton Hundred from circa 1600AD (date of map unknown).
 * Map of the Middlesex Hundreds showing Edmonton adjacent to London (date unknown)Map of the Middlesex Hundreds.gif
 * A whole schwack of maps of Middlesex dating from 1610-1892: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_Pages/ENG_pages/mdx.htm
 * The hundreds of Middlesex in 1824 (Edmonton is #3 -- the map has West at the top too, by the way) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Gray1824_middlesex.jpg