A Year in the Life of Medieval England

The medieval era is often associated with dynastic struggles, gruesome wars and the formidable influence of the Church. But what about the everyday experience of the royal subjects and common people? Here, alongside the coronations, diplomatic dealings and key battles, can be found the fabric of medieval life as it was really lived, in its folk songs, recipes and local gossip. With a diverse range of entries - one for each day of the year - historian Toni Mount provides an almanac for lovers of all things medieval. A detailed picture is gathered from original sources such as chronicles, manor court rolls, coroners' rolls and the records of city councils. We learn not only of the royals and nobles of official history but also the quarrels of a miscellany of characters, including William and Christopher of York, Nalle Kittewritte who stole her neighbours' washing, and Margery from Hereford who was murdered by an Oxford student. The world in which they laboured, loved and lived is vividly reimagined, one day at a time.

Toni Mount’s first career was in science before spending many years in a second profession, teaching. She has a first class honours degree from the Open University, an MA by Research in medieval medicine from the University of Kent, Diplomas in European Humanities, Literature and Creative Writing. Her love of history led to a third career as a writer, specialising in the ordinary lives and fascinating characters from history. Her first book, released by Amberley Publishing in 2014, was Everyday Life in Medieval London. She continues to teach history to adults both in person and online and has now written many successful non-fiction and fiction books. This latest study, The World of Isaac Newton, sees her return to her first love, science, with the chance to take a fresh look at one of the world’s most famous characters.

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