Introduction: the nature and significance of medieval statistics

Casson, M. and Lee, J. S. (2024) Introduction: the nature and significance of medieval statistics. In: Casson, M. and Lee, J. S. (eds.) Medieval Statistics: Accounting, record-keeping and financial management, 1066-1525. Palgrave Studies in the History of Finance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 1-15. ISBN 9783031697296 doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-69730-2_1

Abstract/Summary

This paper summarises the first definitive book ever published on the sources of medieval economic statistics, and is written by the two editors/contributors who managed this project, carried out under the auspices of the Royal Statistical Society. Medieval statistics provide a unique window on the past. Medieval documents produced by royal governments, monastic and ecclesiastical institutions, urban boroughs and legal cases for debt recovery provide a mine of useful information on economic life and financial affairs. They show that medieval administration was far more numerate, and far more sophisticated than is usually recognized. The focus is on English statistics, as they have survived particularly well in both state and private records, but which showcase the potential of digital technology in enabling systematic study of medieval primary sources where large databases can now be compiled from original manuscripts.

Item Type	Book or Report Section
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/120445
Identification Number/DOI	10.1007/978-3-031-69730-2_1
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Economics
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
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