Medieval English Wardship in Romance and Law

by Menuge, Noel James

• ISBN13: 9780859916325
• ISBN10: 0859916324
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-12-01
• Publisher: Ds Brewer

Summary

Studies of wardship in medieval England have so far only seriously concentrated on legal concerns, thus overlooking the intricacies and subtleties of wardship discourse as they are revealed in romance literature. Menuge explores how wardship literature in romance may be used in studies of wardship, and how it may complement an understanding of legal history. Wardship discourse is examined in a variety of sources - legal treatises, cases, and romance - and is discussed in the light of medieval and current perceptions of wardship. Questions are raised as to why and how wards, guardians, lords and families are constructed in the sources, and how these may be read as 'narrative fictions' to tell us more about wardship construction and perception in author and audience alike. The issues addressed are those to do with inheritance, waste, legal age, marriage and guardianship care, while the dominant theme is the importance of the father and his legacy to the ward within this discourse.NOEL JAMES MENUGE gained her D. Phil from the University of York.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
List of Abbreviations	viii
Introduction	1	(1)
Wardship	1	(9)
The sources	10	(10)
An interdisciplinary approach	20	(5)
Wardship and the Ideological Father: Exploring Meanings and Contexts	25	(16)
Using Gamelyn to understand Glanvill	34	(7)
The Matter of Inheritance: Conflicts and Resolutions	41	(21)
Historical interpretations	43	(10)
Gamelyn and the issue of waste	53	(5)
The composite heir: Gamelyn as diabolical (Johan) and as desirable (Ote)	58	(4)
The Ward as Outlaw: Symbolising Infancy	62	(20)
A voice crying in the wilderness	66	(7)
Heralding the dispossessed	73	(9)
Female Wards and Marriage: A Question of Consent	82	(19)
Controlling Behaviour: Mothers as Guardians	101	(27)
Afterword	128	(3)
Bibliography	131	(16)
Index	147