Records of Bridport Fraternities 1271-1530

Parish fraternities played an important part in town life during the later Middle Ages, but their activities are little known. This volume brings together and translates into English all the surviving manuscripts produced by ten of the fraternities of Bridport, which form part of the Bridport Borough Archive. These include membership lists, ordinances, elections, accounts and title deeds of fraternity properties. The introduction explains the religious, social and welfare purposes of fraternities, both nationally and in the context of life in medieval Bridport. Also described are the contents of the documents, with an analysis of the status, occupations and circumstances of the fraternity members.