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THE PLEA ROLLS OF THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS: AN UNUSED SOURCE FOR THE ART AND HISTORY OF LATER MEDIEVAL ENGLAND, 1422–1509

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2015

Elizabeth A Danbury  and
Kathleen L Scott
Elizabeth A Danbury
Affiliation:
Institute of English Studies, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. Email: e.danbury@ucl.ac.uk
Kathleen L Scott
Affiliation:
9002 Candlewood Drive, Knoxville, TN 37923, USA. Email: msklscott7@gmail.com
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Abstract

The court of Common Pleas was one of the most important courts in the English legal system for more than 600 years, until its abolition by Act of Parliament in 1873. The cases heard before this royal court were civil disputes between the king’s subjects, often relating to land, inheritance and debts. The purpose of this paper is to introduce readers to the ornament and imagery that appeared on the headings of the main records of the court of Common Pleas between 1422 and 1509 and to explore the origins and contemporary context of the images and representations employed by the clerk-artists who wrote and decorated these headings. The decoration they chose ranged from simple ornament to representations of plants, birds, animals and people. Great emphasis was placed on the role of the sovereign as the fount of justice, and this emphasis was reinforced by the incorporation of words and phrases, acclamations and verses from the Psalms chosen to underline the majesty and power of successive monarchs. The illustrations provide an important insight into the art, history and politics of late fifteenth-century England.

Résumé

La Court of Common Pleas (Cour des plaids-communs) demeura l’une des principales cours de justice anglaises pendant plus de 600 ans, jusqu’à son abolition par une loi votée par le Parlement en 1873. Les affaires portées devant ce tribunal royal concernaient les conflits opposant les sujets du roi, souvent dans les domaines de la propriété foncière, des successions et des dettes. Le présent article présente au lecteur l’ornementation et les images apparaissant sur les titres des principaux procès-verbaux de la Court of Common Pleas entre 1422 et 1509 et étudie les origines et le contexte contemporain des images et représentations employées par les clercs-artistes chargés d’inscrire et de décorer ces titres. La décoration choisie varie d’une simple ornementation à la représentation de végétaux, d’oiseaux, d’animaux et de personnes. Elle mett fortement l’accent sur le rôle du souverain en tant que source de la justice, accent renforcé par l’ajout de mots et d’expressions, d’acclamations et de versets tirés des Psaumes, choisis pour souligner la majesté et le pouvoir des monarques successifs. Ces illustrations fournissent un aperçu important de l’art, de l’histoire et de la politique de l’Angleterre à la fin du XVe siècle.

Zusammenfassung

Das Court of Common Pleas (Gericht für allgemeine Angelegenheiten) war bis zu seiner Aufhebung durch ein vom Parlament beschlossenes Gesetz im Jahre 1873 über mehr als 600 Jahre hin einer der wichtigsten Gerichtshöfe im englischen Rechtssystem. Bei den von diesem königlichen Gerichtshof behandelten Fällen handelte es sich um Zivilstreitigkeiten zwischen den königlichen Untertanen und zwar zumeist in Bezug auf Grundbesitz, Erbschaften und Schulden. Zweck dieser Abhandlung ist es, die Leser mit der Ornamentik und Bildsprache bekannt zu machen, die im Kopf wichtiger Gerichtsakten des Court of Common Pleas zwischen 1422 und 1509 zu sehen sind, sowie die Ursprünge und den zeitgenössischen Kontext der Bilder und Darstellungen zu untersuchen, die von den künstlerischen Gerichtsschreibern, die diese Überschriften schrieben und ausschmückten, verwendet wurden. Die von ihnen gewählten Dekorationen erstreckten sich von einfachen Ornamenten bis hin zu Darstellungen von Pflanzen, Vögeln, Tieren und Menschen.

Besondere Bedeutung wurde dabei der Rolle des Monarchen als Quelle allen Rechts beigemessen und diese Bedeutung wurde noch durch die Aufnahme von Wörtern und Phrasen, Akklamationen und Versen aus den Psalmen verstärkt, die gewählt wurden, um die Majestät und Macht des jeweiligen Monarchen zu unterstreichen. Die Illustrationen vermitteln einen wichtigen Einblick in die Kunst, Geschichte und Politik des ausgehenden 15. Jahrhunderts in England.

Type
Papers
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 95 , September 2015 , pp. 157 - 210
Copyright
© The Society of Antiquaries of London 2015 

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