If historians of medieval London had a patron saint, it might well be Edward I. While many English monarchs chose to leave London to its own devices, Edward decided from the start of his reign in 1272 to put pressure on the city to justify its liberties. The result was a profusion of bureaucracy, most notably in the Letter Books, that describe the life of London and its people in vivid detail, from disputes, petitions and regulations to the names of all the city’s apprentices. This record-keeping was good for the city too, reinforcing a powerful system of guilds supporting hundreds of trades and a flourishing merchant and consumer culture.
But when the Black Death arrived in England in 1348, London’s population was devastated, and its social and economic life transformed. In this episode, Rosemary is joined again by Matthew Davies, professor of urban history at Birkbeck, to look at how England’s capital coped both with its rapid rise in the first half of the 14th century and a long period turmoil thereafter, including the Hundred Years’ War, the revolts of Wat Tyler and Jack Cade, and the Wars of the Roses.
Reading by Duncan Wilkins
Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up:
Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applesignuplr
Other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/scsignuplr
Read more in the LRB:
Tom Johnson: No More Baubles: https://lrb.me/lrep401
What is Close Readings?
Close Readings is a multi-series podcast from the London Review of Books that covers different periods and themes of literature, history and philosophy. Each year there are several series running simultaneously, with a new episode appearing every week.
Subscribe to Close Readings for full access to all past and current series (see links above).
Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk
