The Household Accounts of Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) - (Records of Social and Economic History) by Susan Powell (Hardcover)

About the Book

Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) was the mother of Henry Tudor (1457-1509). This edition selects the principal household accounts from the period (1498-1509) during which she ran her own household entirely independent of her third husband, Thomas Stanley, earl of Derby.

Book Synopsis

Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) was the mother of Henry Tudor (1457-1509) by her first husband, Edmund Tudor, who died before his son was born. A strong and determined woman, after many vicissitudes she was instrumental in the overthrow of Richard III and the accession of her son to the throne after the Battle of Bosworth (1485). The documents edited here are the principal household accounts, extant in St John's College, Cambridge, for the period 1498-1509, during which she ran her own household, variously at Collyweston, Croydon and Hatfield, independent of her third husband, Thomas Stanley, earl of Derby. The accounts record the economy and management of the household at the height of Lady Margaret's power, wealth, and influence and offer unique evidence of both the household and Lady Margaret herself.

Review Quotes

This is an impressive tome, both in size and content, that has taken Susan Powell more than a decade to complete, but it has been worth the wait. As might be expected from an editor of Powell's experience and expertise, this is an exemplary edition...Powell has here set abench mark to which future editors of similar material would do well to aspire-- "Hannes Kleineke, Parliamentary History Yearbook Trust"

About the Author

Susan Powell is Emeritus Professor of Medieval Texts and Culture, University of Salford. She is the editor of John Mirk's Festial, published in two volumes by Oxford University Press for the Early English Text Society. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Chair of the Harlaxton Medieval Symposium steering committee, and Associate Editor and Reviews Editor of the Journal of the Early Book Society.