Richard Mortimer

Excavations by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit in 1999 and 2000 on a housing development site off West Fen Road, to the west of Ely city centre, produced abundant evidence for Mid and Late Saxon and medieval settlement. Established in the early 8th century the site saw continuous occupation, often within the same ditched property boundaries, for almost 800 years, until its eventual desertion in the 15th century. A detailed reconstruction of the settlement history of the site indicates a very stable, but gradually evolving settlement which probably provided food and other services, originally to the monastic settlement, then to the abbey and subsequently to the bishops. This report deals with a selection of the excavations within the area, and includes some details on the pre-Saxon background. Discussions on the buildings, enclosures and settlement sequence, as well as on the artefacts and environmental evidence form the main basis of the report.

This volume focuses on remains of the Beaker period to Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (c. 2400–350 BC) from three multi-period developer-funded excavations on the clay uplands of Suffolk, within which four burnt mounds were investigated. The sites were excavated by Cotswold Archaeology (CA) and Suffolk Archaeology Community Interest Company (CIC) (now Cotswold Archaeology). At Marham Park (Fornham All Saints), overlooking the valley of the River Lark, features included a Beaker period burnt mound complex, a Beaker roundhouse, Beaker pits, an Early Bronze Age burnt mound complex, Middle Bronze Age field systems/enclosures and probable Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age land division boundaries. At Laxfield, above a tributary of the River Blyth, a burnt mound site of earlier Bronze Age date was located in the vicinity of subsequent Middle Bronze Age enclosures. At Hepworth, a fragmentary Beaker period/Early Bronze Age burnt mound site was recorded on higher land above tributaries of the River Dove.

Title first published in 2003. Westminster Abbey occupies a unique position in the religious and royal landscape of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. As the scene of coronations and other great public occasions, it has been the continuing focus of the nation's religious life for half the Christian era. Yet the building itself would not have survived the upheavals of the Protestant Reformation had the institution running it not been itself 'reformed' from monastery into collegiate church. These nine studies discuss ways in which Westminster's new corporate structure evolved in the first century of its existence, and look at some of the personalities who played a part in that process. New research, much of it in the Abbey's own rich archive, opens up previously unseen views of this great church's internal affairs, its relationship with the Crown, and its place in its own locality.

Title first published in 2003. Westminster Abbey occupies a unique position in the religious and royal landscape of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. As the scene of coronations and other great public occasions, it has been the continuing focus of the nation's religious life for half the Christian era. Yet the building itself would not have survived the upheavals of the Protestant Reformation had the institution running it not been itself 'reformed' from monastery into collegiate church. These nine studies discuss ways in which Westminster's new corporate structure evolved in the first century of its existence, and look at some of the personalities who played a part in that process. New research, much of it in the Abbey's own rich archive, opens up previously unseen views of this great church's internal affairs, its relationship with the Crown, and its place in its own locality.

A guide to the important records of Westminster Abbey, from the tenth century to the present day. The Muniments of Westminster Abbey constitute the archives of the iconic church that has been at the heart of public life in England since the middle ages. As well as coronations, royal events and the burials of the great and famous, the archive comprises the records of one of England's most important medieval monasteries and one of the wealthiest cathedral-style collegiate churches refounded in the Reformation period. The long, continuous history of Westminster Abbey has led to an exceptionally undisturbed archive, stretching from the tenth century to the present day and incorporating estate papers, accounts, court rolls, wills, personal papers, maps and plans as well as many surprises. This book is the first full published overview of this major archive, comprising a history of record-keeping, an analysis of the main subjects covered, and summaries of the principal series. Dr Richard Mortimer was until his retirement Keeper of the Muniments, Westminster Abbey.

Richard Mortimer's book covers the reigns of Henry II, his sons Richard the Lionheart and John, and much of that of his gradson Henry III. The period was beset by constant wars with France, frequent troubles with the popes, and baronial rebellions culminating in Magna Carta. But Angevin rule also witnessed the re-establishment of a strengthened royal authority and administration, a burgeoning prosperity, the beginnings of the common law, and the foundations of universities at Oxford and Cambridge. This is not only a history of the politics of the period but of society and culture, and the interactions of the three.