Medieval agreements and arguments — A cosy, curious lesson (Age 13)

Welcome — settle in as if feet are warmed by a hearth. We are going to taste five medieval documents: a court roll about Ravenser Odd, a royal charter to Matilda Passelewe, a merchants’ petition from Middelburg, a receipt from Ermengarda, and a colourful map recording a land settlement. For each source you will find compact student tasks and two model answers: one Exemplary and one Proficient. Read slowly, imagine the parchment under your fingers, and let the evidence tell you its little secrets.

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Source 1 — Ravenser Odd (Court case, 1291)

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 they want?
4. What do Grimsby accuse Ravenser Odd of doing, and how do Ravenser Odd respond?
5. How did the court resolve the argument? Would Grimsby be happy?

Model answers

Exemplary

1. The document is a narrow, long roll — like a scroll — with writing in lines across the width. It looks like other court plea rolls and is shaped to be unrolled and read in sequence, so officials could keep a running record of cases. The shape suits an archive: many cases glued into one roll.

2. The transcript names the parties as “the people of Grimsby” and “the people of Ravenser Odd”; individual names or burgesses may be listed in the original Latin lines. The town names act as legal parties.

3. Grimsby accused Ravenser Odd of intercepting merchants and compelling trade there, harming Grimsbys commerce and tax income. They wanted the court to stop this interference and restore fair trading, and they sought compensation or redress.

4. Grimsby says Ravenser Odd seized ships, arrested merchants, and redirected trade. Ravenser Odd replies that merchants prefer their port because of better prices and that Grimsby cheated customers — so it is a market advantage, not a crime.

5. The court found for Ravenser Odd: the islands actions did not break the kings peace, and Grimsby was fined for a false claim. Grimsby would be unhappy because they lost the case and paid a penalty; the verdict suggests royal courts avoided local trade disputes unless clear law was broken.

Proficient

1. The document is a long roll, similar to other official records — probably so many cases were kept together.

2. The two places are named: Grimsby and Ravenser Odd; these are the parties.

3. Grimsby went to court because they claimed Ravenser Odd was taking their trade and hurting them; they wanted the court to stop it.

4. Grimsby accused Ravenser Odd of arresting merchants and making them trade at Ravenser Odd. Ravenser Odd said merchants came willingly for better prices.

5. The court sided with Ravenser Odd; Grimsby lost and were fined. They would likely be unhappy with the result.

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Source 2 — Matilda Passelewe (Charter roll, 1267)

1. Can you find Matildas name in the document? (Clue: margin)
2. What does the document grant to Matilda?
3. What might ‘free warren’ mean? Can you find the Latin "liberam warrenam"?
4. Why keep a record of charters in a roll?

Model answers

Exemplary

1. Matildas name appears in the margin next to the entry for Barewe (her manor); look for medieval spellings like "Matilda" or "Mathildis." The margin helps clerks find entries quickly.

2. The charter grants Matilda the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair at her manor of Barewe — important commercial privileges that attract trade and income.

3. A "free warren" (Latin "liberam warrenam") is a right to hunt small game like hares, rabbits and certain birds on ones land. The Latin phrase should be visible in the charter text; it identifies the specific legal privilege.

4. The kings chancery kept rolls as official office copies to prevent disputes: if someone claimed a charter, the crown could consult its roll. Rolls were practical: grouped, chronological, and durable for reference.

Proficient

1. Yes — Matildas name appears in the margin near her entry.

2. She receives rights to hold a market and a yearly fair.

3. "Free warren" means the right to hunt small animals on her land; the Latin words "liberam warrenam" are in the text.

4. Charters were copied into rolls so the government had an official list to check if questions or disputes arose.

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Source 3 — Middelburg (Merchants' petition, 1426)

1. What language is the petition in? How is this different to Sources 1 and 2?
2. Can you read any words? What is a petition today and how did medieval petitions differ?
3. What happened to the merchants and what do they want from the king?
4. What might have happened next and how could we find out?

Model answers

Exemplary

1. The petition is in Middle English or Anglo-Norman English used by merchants — later medieval petitions often appear in English rather than Latin. Sources 1 and 2 are in Latin, the standard legal language earlier in the period.

2. You may spot words like "merchants," "letters," or names of towns if translated. A petition today is a written request to an authority; medieval petitions were formal requests to the king asking for intervention, often accompanied by evidence.

3. Merchants say that despite letters of safe conduct, local officials arrested and imprisoned some merchants, taking their keys and goods. They ask the king to write to Middelburg authorities to enforce the safe conduct and return seized goods.

4. The king might send letters, demand compensation, or require the merchants to pursue legal case in local courts. To find out, historians check royal correspondence, records of letters patent, or subsequent legal rolls referring to the petitions outcome.

Proficient

1. The petition is written in a vernacular (English), unlike Sources 1 and 2 which are in Latin.

2. Today a petition is a plea to leaders; medieval petitions similarly asked the king to act but were more formal and often attached documents as proof.

3. Merchants were arrested and had goods taken despite safe conduct. They want the king to order Middelburg to return the goods and punish offenders.

4. The king could intervene or advise court action. To know what happened, we would search later royal records or court rolls for follow-up.

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Source 4 — Ermengarda (Receipt with seal)

1. What is a receipt used for today? Does this medieval receipt do the same?
2. How much money did Ermengarda get from the treasury?
3. Who else is mentioned? Can you find Ermengardas name? (Look for "ego")
4. What is shown on her seal and why might she have chosen that image?

Model answers

Exemplary

1. Today a receipt proves payment. The medieval receipt records that Ermengarda received a sterling mark from the treasury and serves the same function: proof for the Exchequer that funds were paid or received.

2. Ermengarda received one sterling mark (often written as a mark or 13s 4d); the entry in the roll or E42/78 shows the amount in medieval currency.

3. Other officials or witnesses — likely treasury clerks — are named. Ermengardas name appears near "ego" (I), indicating she acknowledges receipt and seals the document.

4. Her red oval seal shows a portrait of a woman in widows clothing (veil). She may have chosen it to show her legal independence after a husbands death or to assert her personal authority in financial affairs.

Proficient

1. Yes — the receipt serves as proof of payment, like modern receipts.

2. She received one sterling mark from the treasury.

3. Treasury clerks and possibly a witness are mentioned. Look for "ego" to find Ermengardas declaration.

4. The seal shows a veiled woman; this may signal widowhood or personal status and acts like a signature to confirm the receipt.

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Source 5 — Abbot of St Marys, York (Map and land agreement, 1407)

1. Find river, streams, paths, plants, towns, churches, bridges, houses on the map. Why is it so colourful?
2. What shape is the map and why?
3. Which languages are on the map and which English words can you read?
4. How is a map used to record agreements? Compare it with modern maps of Goole and Thorne Moor. What changed and what stayed the same?

Model answers

Exemplary

1. The map shows rivers and banks as winding blue lines, streams and paths as thinner strokes, plants drawn as tufts, towns with small buildings, churches with crosses, bridges over waterways, and farmhouses. It is colourful to make boundaries clear and to help negotiators around a table quickly recognise features—colour distinguishes ownership and use.

2. The map is roughly rectangular but oriented to sit on a table with North, South, East and West written in different directions; this helps people gathered around see the correct orientation from any side.

3. Latin and Middle English appear together. English placenames or words like "Stone cros," "Inclesmore," or town names are readable; Latin labels appear in the descriptive text. Both languages show legal and local naming practices.

4. Maps recorded exact boundaries and rights (e.g. peat-cutting areas, grazing limits) so parties could visually agree. Comparing with modern maps shows many place names persist and waterways remain though land use (agriculture, urban growth) has changed; the maps legal function is similar to cadastral maps today.

Proficient

1. You can spot rivers, paths, buildings, churches and plants. Colour makes it easier to see different areas and boundaries.

2. The map is drawn to be viewed on a table; directions are placed so several people can read it at once.

3. Both Latin and English words are used; English place names are readable on the map.

4. The map shows which land each party could use (peat, grazing). Many place names survive today but land use has changed; the map function is like modern legal maps.

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Teacher notes: ACARA v9 mapping, 100-word teacher comments (Nigella Lawson cadence) and extended rubrics

Alignment: Australian Curriculum v9 — Humanities and Social Sciences: History (Years 78). Skills emphasised: analysing sources, corroboration, context, communicating historical explanations and using evidence to support interpretations.

Source 1 — Ravenser Odd: Teacher comment (100 words)

Imagine the parchment unrolling like a scroll of seaside gossip, salty and sharp. Invite your students to taste the tension: two towns, one new port, arguments rising like tides. Ask them to listen for who benefits and who loses, to spot the legal language that shields the kings peace. Guide them to weigh the parties words and the courts silence on local trade. Encourage evidence-rich sentences and neat citations from the transcript. Let them practise turning archival clues into lively claims. The aim: accurate reading, clear inference, and thoughtful judgement about medieval justice.

Rubric — Ravenser Odd

Exemplary: Accurate identification of document type and shape; clear citation of named parties; thoughtful explanation of motives using evidence; evaluation of court outcome and impact on Grimsby.
Proficient: Correct description of roll and parties; clear statement of complaint and verdict; basic reasoning about likely reactions.

Source 2 — Matilda Passelewe: Teacher comment (100 words)

Say her name softly — Matilda Passelewe — and imagine a weekday market bustling with cloth, eggs and honey. Invite students to notice marginalia: that tiny flourish by a clerk is a pointer to legal privilege. Help them connect "free warren" with game and social status; show how charters confer rights not just words. Insist they identify Latin phrases and translate meaning, and to explain why the chancery kept office copies. Celebrate answers that marry legal sense with social detail: markets bring money, warrens bring food and status. Aim for precise vocabulary and neat evidence links.

Rubric — Matilda Passelewe

Exemplary: Identifies margin name; translates 'liberam warrenam'; explains market and fair rights and social consequences; explains purpose of charter rolls.
Proficient: Finds Matildas name; states market/fair grant; gives plausible meaning of free warren; recognises record-keeping purpose.

Source 3 — Middelburg petition: Teacher comment (100 words)

Read it aloud like a plaintive plea, a merchants voice, urgent and grainy. Push students to notice language and audience: why write to the king? Challenge them to translate complaint into clear claims: arrests despite safe conduct, seizure of goods. Ask them to propose next steps and plausible archival traces: letters patent, court rolls, diplomatic notes. Reward answers that link source form to function: petitions are appeals, often accompanied by evidence. Emphasise source comparison: how does this vernacular petition differ from Latin records? Precision in interpretation wins the day.

Rubric — Middelburg petition

Exemplary: Identifies petition language and contrast with Latin; extracts key complaints and requests; suggests realistic follow-up records and reasoning.
Proficient: Notes the petition form and asks, ‘‘what did they want?’’; suggests likely kingly responses and simple archival follow-up.

Source 4 — Ermengarda receipt: Teacher comment (100 words)

Its a small domestic drama stamped in red wax. Get students to think like scriveners: receipts prove transactions, and a seal is a personal signature full of meaning. Ask them to hunt for "ego" and the amount, to convert medieval currency terms into plain English, and to speculate why a widows portrait matters. Encourage them to read the seal as deliberate self-fashioning: authority, independence, identity. Reward neat cross-referencing to Exchequer practice and the social role of women in finance. The best answers balance precise reading, contextual knowledge and empathetic imagination.

Rubric — Ermengarda receipt

Exemplary: Locates amount and name; explains receipt function; analyses seal imagery and social implications; links to Exchequer processes.
Proficient: Finds "ego" and amount; states receipt purpose; gives plausible reason for seal choice.

Source 5 — Abbot of St Marys map: Teacher comment (100 words)

Invite students to unfurl the map like a cloth on a table, colours bright as spices. Teach them to read icons: crosses for churches, stone marks for boundaries, shading for shared peat grounds. Encourage comparison: find the same town names on a modern map, note continuity and change. Ask them why maps help settle disputes — sight beats argument. Insist on language awareness: why both Latin and English? The best responses will combine map-reading skills with legal understanding and local geography, and will neatly argue what changed (use) and what stayed (place names, waterways).

Rubric — Abbot of St Marys map

Exemplary: Identifies map features, languages, orientation reasons; explains legal function in dispute resolution; compares medieval and modern geography with examples.
Proficient: Names visible features; explains table-orientation and dual-language use; notes general similarities and changes with modern map.

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Further teacher guidance: encourage students to quote short phrases from transcripts, to practise converting medieval money and terms into everyday language, and to annotate printouts of the documents. For assessment link tasks to evidence use, reasoning and clarity of historical explanation. For extension, ask students to design a seal and write a short petition in medieval style.