Social memory, reputation and the politics of death in the medieval Irish lordship
Stories of murderous monks, tavern brawls, robberies gone wrong, tragic accidents and criminal gangs from court records reveal how the English of medieval Ireland governed and politicized death and collectively decided what passed for ‘truth’ in legal proceedings. This study of the social practices underlying the lordship’s legal culture centres on the coroner’s jurisdiction, homicides and sentences of capital punishment between 1257 and 1344. It highlights how the English of Ireland relied on collective memory, customary law, oral histories, common fame and social networks to assess truth in legal contexts.
Joanna MacGugan
- Four Courts Press Ltd
- 9781801510905
- 192 pages
- €55.00
- Hardback
- Ireland
- British & Irish history
