Gender and Petty Crime in Late Medieval England – The Local Courts in Kent, 1460–1560
Author(s): Karen Jones (Author)
Publisher: Boydell Press
Publication Date: 20 July 2006
Language: English
Print length: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 9781843832164
ISBN-13: 184383216X
Book Description
First full-length study of the relations between gender and crime in late medieval England. Winner of the Women’s History Network Book Prize, 2007 A large proportion of late medieval people were accused of some kind of misdemeanour in borough, manorial or ecclesiastical courts at some stage in their lives. Therecords of these courts bring us as close to ordinary townspeople and villagers as it is possible to get, and show what behaviour was considered reprehensible in men and women. This book is the first full-length studyof gender and crime in late medieval England. Based on a meticulous analysis of the records of local jurisdictions in Kent, and bringing in a wealth of evidence from numerous individual cases, it shows how charges against women typically differed from those against men, and how contemporary assumptions and fears about masculinity and femininity were both reflected and reinforced by the local courts. KAREN JONES is an Associate Research Fellow of the University of Greenwich.
Editorial Reviews
Review
A solid piece of empirical research which will probably find its primary audience among specialists. — HISTORY WORKSHOP JOURNAL, vol 66, no 1, Autumn 2008
Adds much to our understanding of how both criminal activity and the law functioned in response to and as conduits of gendered behavior. —
AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW, vol 113, no.1 (Feb 2008)
Dr Jones’s book provides a significant contribution to the study of law and order in provincial society. —
ARCHAEOLOGIA CANTIANA, 2008
Full of human interest and provides many insights into late medieval society as well as contributing to the debates over gender, crime and social control. —
WOMEN’S HISTORY MAGAZINE
Not only a substantial addition to Kentish history, it is of much more than local significance. —
SOUTHERN HISTORY, vol. 28, 2006
With such a thorough analysis of the sources and chock-full of useful tables offering firm statistical evidence of gender distinctions, Jones’s book will certainly become a touchstone for future studies of petty crime. —
THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW, April 2008
Review
Dr Jones’s book provides a significant contribution to the study of law and order in provincial society.
Review
Full of human interest and provides many insights into late medieval society as well as contributing to the debates over gender, crime and social control.
Book Description
With such a thorough analysis of the sources and chock-full of useful tables offering firm statistical evidence of gender distinctions, Jones’s book will certainly become a touchstone for future studies of petty crime.
About the Author
Karen Jones is an Associate Research Fellow of the University of Greenwich.
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