Medieval agreements and arguments — Student printable (Age 14)

Instructions — Read carefully. No dawdling. You will work through five medieval source tasks. For each source answer the questions beneath it. Use evidence from the document (look at words, shape, seals, maps) and from the teacher notes. Under each source you will find a short model answer — read it, learn from it, then answer in your own words in your book.

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Source 1 — Ravenser Odd (court case, 1291)

Questions (student):

1. Describe the shape of the document. Does it look like anything you have seen before? Why might it be this shape?
2. Can you find the names of the people in the court case?
3. Why did Grimsby take Ravenser Odd to court? What did Grimsby want?
4. What do the people of Grimsby claim Ravenser Odd are doing and how is it affecting Grimsby? How do Ravenser Odd respond?
5. How is the argument resolved by the court? Would Grimsby be happy?

Model answers (student-facing, direct):

Shape and look: The document is a narrow strip cut from a roll (a plea roll). It looks like a strip because long legal records were written on rolls and then cut into sections for reference. This is not a neat modern letter — it’s a court record entry.

Names: You can find the places and parties named: the people of Grimsby and the people of Ravenser Odd. Personal names may appear in the transcript — look for Latin phrases naming complainants and defendants.

Why to court: Grimsby accused Ravenser Odd of sending boats to arrest merchants and forcing trade at Ravenser Odd, hurting Grimsby’s trade and tax income. Grimsby wanted the court to stop this and protect their trade.

Claims and responses: Grimsby says Ravenser Odd seized merchants and directed trade away. Ravenser Odd replies that merchants preferred their market because of better prices and that Grimsby cheated merchants. Both sides blame the other.

Resolution: The king’s court found Ravenser Odd had not broken the king’s peace and fined Grimsby for making a false accusation. Grimsby likely unhappy — they lost and even paid a fine.

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Source 2 — Matilda Passelewe (charter roll, 1267)

Questions (student):

1. Can you find Matilda’s name? (Hint: check margins.)
2. What does the charter grant Matilda?
3. What does ‘free warren’ mean? Can you find the Latin phrase?
4. Why did the king keep a record of charters?

Model answers:

Name in margin: Matilda’s name is in the margin as a heading to her entry — chancery rolls listed many charters with names in margins for quick reference.

Grant: The charter gives Matilda the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair at her manor and grants her rights over small game hunting and related privileges.

‘Free warren’: ‘Free warren’ (Latin: liberam warrenam) meant exclusive rights to hunt small game (hares, rabbits, some birds) on her land. It protected her income and status.

Why keep records: The Chancery kept office copies so the crown had proof of grants and could settle future disputes if someone claimed rights or challenged a charter.

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Source 3 — Middelburg (petition from English merchants, 1426)

Questions (student):

1. What language is the petition in? How is that different from Sources 1 and 2?
2. Can you read any words? What does a medieval petition look like compared with modern petitions?
3. What happened to the merchants and what do they want from the king?
4. What might happen next? How could we find out?

Model answers:

Language: The petition is written in Middle English (or possibly a mixture with Latin/French), unlike many legal documents that are Latin. This reflects changing language use in later medieval periods.

Readability: You may spot familiar English words but handwriting is difficult. Medieval petitions were formal letters asking the king’s help; modern petitions are usually short, signed lists of supporters.

What happened: Merchants claim officials in Middelburg ignored their safe conduct, arrested them, forced over goods and keys, and imprisoned some. They petition the king to order restitution and protection.

Next steps: The king might send letters to Middelburg or instruct his officials; the case could go to legal channels. To find out we could search archives for royal letters, replies, or subsequent court records.

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Source 4 — Ermengarda (receipt to the Treasury)

Questions (student):

1. What is a receipt used for today? Does this document serve the same purpose?
2. How much money did Ermengarda receive/from whom?
3. Who else is mentioned? Can you find her name? (Look for ego = I.)
4. What is shown on her seal and why might she have chosen this image?

Model answers:

Receipt purpose: Like today’s receipts, it records money paid/received. It shows a financial transaction recorded by the treasury to prove payment was made and received.

Amount: The entry records one mark (or other amount shown on transcript); check the transcript to confirm the exact sum recorded.

Names and ego: Look for ego Ermengarda — this is how she ‘signed’. Other officials or witnesses named the treasury clerk; these show who controlled the payment.

Seal image: Ermengarda’s oval red seal shows a woman in widow’s veil — she likely chose it to show her legal identity, independence and to prove she acted alone after her husband’s death.

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Source 5 — Abbot of St Mary’s, York (map, 1407)

Questions (student):

1. What features can you find (rivers, bridges, houses, crosses)? Why so colourful?
2. What shape is the map and why is it that shape?
3. What languages appear? Which English words can you read?
4. How is this map similar or different to modern maps? What agreements could maps record?
5. Compare with a modern map of Goole/Thorne Moor — what changed/stayed the same?

Model answers:

Features and colour: The map includes rivers, streams, paths, towns, churches, houses and stone crosses; colour helps show boundaries, water and different land uses — very practical for a meeting table.

Shape: It’s roughly rectangular or oblong and designed to lay flat on a table; compass directions are rotated so everyone around the table can read it.

Languages and words: Latin and Middle English appear. You may read English place-names like Thorne. Labels show the uses of land and boundary markers.

Maps for agreements: It’s more like a legal diagram than a navigational map — used to record land divisions, rights to cut peat and grazing areas. Compared to modern maps it’s less precise but functionally legal.

Change/stability: Town names and some landmarks persist; land use and the moor’s extent may have changed. Comparing to modern maps highlights human and environmental change.

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Short written response (exam-style, 100–150 words)

Question: What do medieval documents reveal about people’s agreements and disagreements in the Middle Ages?

Model answer (student-facing): Medieval documents show that people from kings to ordinary merchants used written records to make claims, protect rights and seek justice. Charters recorded grants of markets and hunting rights; petitions asked the king to intervene; court rolls recorded disputes and outcomes; receipts documented payments; maps fixed land boundaries and shared rights. Documents reveal the language of law (Latin often), the role of royal offices (Chancery and Exchequer), and that disputes could be local or international. They also show how legal proof — seals, roll copies, and maps — mattered for authority and memory.

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Teacher notes — Amy Chua Tiger Mother cadence (brief)

Do not let students guess. Force evidence-based answers. Make them point to words, shapes, seals and dates. Require transcripts quoted in their answers. Push for accuracy and neat presentation. Expect clear sentences, dates and source references. If students complain it’s hard, tell them good historians work hard. Praise effort when sources are cited correctly.

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ACARA v9 Mapping & extended rubrics (Years 7–8 History skills alignment)

Curriculum alignment (ACARA v9 — Humanities & Social Sciences, History Years 7–8): This lesson addresses Historical Knowledge (medieval society, feudal structures, trade and towns) and Historical Skills: chronology and terms; analysis and use of sources; perspectives and interpretations; explanation and communication. Use sources to develop evidence-based historical arguments and to evaluate origin, purpose and content.

Rubric (per task) — two performance levels

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Teacher feedback — 100-word comment per task (ACARA-aligned)

Task 1 — Ravenser Odd (100-word teacher comment)

Excellent focus on primary evidence: you identified the plea roll format and connected its narrow shape to chancery record-keeping. You correctly named the parties and summarized Grimsby’s complaint about trade diversion. Next time, quote one short phrase from the transcript to back your explanation (even three words anchor your claim). When evaluating the court’s decision, link its ruling to royal priorities (king’s peace vs local trade). Challenge yourself: what alternative local remedies might Grimsby have used? For ACARA skills, this shows good source use and developing historical reasoning — push for more direct quotations.

Task 2 — Matilda Passelewe (100-word teacher comment)

Your detection of Matilda’s marginal name was precise and you explained the charter’s market and warren grants clearly. You interpreted ‘free warren’ well; now add one sentence about why hunting rights signalled social status and income. You correctly explained why rolls were kept (office copies) — strengthen this by noting how that protected both crown and grantee. Try adding a regnal-year reference from the transcript to practise medieval dating conventions. This work aligns with ACARA History skills: identifying institutional functions and using documents to explain medieval society. Aim higher by linking local economic impact to royal policy.

Task 3 — Middelburg (100-word teacher comment)

You recognised the petition’s language difference and used the merchants’ complaints accurately. Good suggestion to search for royal replies or follow-up records. Improve by specifying an archival series you would check (e.g. royal letters or chancery rolls) or by naming the sort of evidence that would confirm restitution. Also, cite a phrase that shows the safe-conduct was ignored. Consider the international context of trade and how city officials might have had their own laws — this helps explain why petitions sought royal intervention. This demonstrates solid source analysis and inquiry planning per ACARA v9.

Task 4 — Ermengarda (100-word teacher comment)

You correctly treated the receipt like a modern receipt and identified the amount and the personal signature form (ego). Excellent observation about the widow’s veil on the seal and the likely legal claim to act independently. Next, connect the receipt to Exchequer bookkeeping practices and explain how seals functioned legally instead of written signatures. For depth, compare this seal to another example (monastic or noble) and note differences. This demonstrates good analytical use of material culture evidence and aligns well with ACARA objectives on using diverse sources to explain historical roles.

Task 5 — Abbot of St Mary’s map (100-word teacher comment)

You located rivers, crosses and place-names and correctly interpreted colour as a boundary tool. Strong point on the map being a legal diagram for negotiation rather than a navigational aid. Improve by naming which parts were shared (one-third/two-thirds division) and by quoting a label from the map to support your reading. When comparing to modern maps, go further: identify at least one town that appears in both maps and suggest why landscape change occurred (peat cutting, drainage, farming). This task shows good spatial reasoning and source comparison relevant to ACARA historical skills.

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How to use this printable

1. Print the page or copy each source section to a worksheet.
2. Give students 15–20 minutes per source if done individually, or split across a lesson with group work.
3. Ask students to answer from the images/transcripts and then compare to model answers. Require evidence quoting for each claim.

External resources: use The National Archives transcripts and images for close inspection. Encourage archival follow-ups for stronger evidence-based inquiry.