Publisher's Synopsis
This critical edition of charters from the great Hospitaller cartulary of 1442 provides a wealth of evidence for the study of both the Hospitallers and Templars in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. By publishing the 230 Essex entries of the prima camera, this volume complements Professor Gervers' edition of the secunda camera (published as RSEH New Series VI), which was enthusiastically received as essential reading for all medieval economic and social historians and hailed as 'a tribute to the editor's scholarship and application'. The editor's Introduction demonstrates how the documents reveal major differences between the wealthy Templar Order and the far more modest establishment of the Hospitallers, and his thorough examination of the manuscript includes an innovative methodology for the dating of undated charters. This much awaited edition will provide a valuable source of data for many years to come.
