The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381

by R.B. Dobson (Editor)

`An excellent selection of sources for the rebellion.' Bibliographies Handbook One of the most famous and dramatic episodes in English history, the great revolt of 1381 is still a largely unsolved mystery. The new edition of this lengthy and detailed collection of original documents provides a basic handbook to the story, significance and problems of the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381.

Genres: History, Medieval History

478 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 1970

About the author

Richard Barrie Dobson, medieval historian, specialised in church and clergy of later medieval England. He taught at St.Andrews, York and Cambridge universities.

Reviews

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong summary of the various sources for the Great Rising of 1381, which combines contemporary scholarship and a wide range of primary sources to get at the true events of 1381. Read for a university tutorial.

[Mercedes Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Dobson’s book about the Peasants’ Revolt in the reference notes of more than one history I was reading, so I knew it had to be important. What a find! This book is not written as a general history for the casual reader; it is geared for the student population or the researcher who needs to get to the specifics. It is the first time I’ve seen this particular format; what the author has done is arrange the translated sources by numbered entries (in chronological order, as best as he could). Each entry starts with an overview pointing out the relationship of the chronicler to the event, and emphasizes important—or faulty—statements in the text. So that, instead of a straight narrative like we see in a normal history book, we get the actual text of each writer, one after the other concerning each occurrence. For instance, when describing the rebels in London, first we read the Anonimalle Chronicle (#25), then we see Thomas Walsingham (#26), then Henry Knighton (#27), of course Froissart (#28), the Monk of Westminster (#29), and a couple of lesser known authors, Inquisition Records and Indictments. This means we read about the same events six or seven times in a row; each entry presents the incidents somewhat differently. This saves hours of independent research and helps piece together details often missing from general histories: for example, the Monk of Westminster tells us “They placed the heads on London Bridge, putting the archbishop’s head in the centre and at a higher level”. That is a detail overlooked everywhere else, but could be of great use to the researcher (or historical novelist) looking for veracity. I dare say this is the most important book in my Richard II library!

[David Thurmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok for hard core academics, but otherwise a good cure for insomnia.