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Helen Matthews
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The Legitimacy of Bastards: The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England Hardcover – 25 April 2019

by Helen Matthews (Author)
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For the nobility and gentry in later medieval England, land was a source of wealth and status. Their marriages were arranged with this in mind, and it is not surprising that so many of them had mistresses and illegitimate children. John de Warenne, earl of Surrey, married at the age of twenty to a ten-year-old granddaughter of Edward I, had at least eight bastards and a complicated love life. In theory, bastards were at a considerable disadvantage. Regarded as filius nullius' or the son of no one, they were unable to inherit real property and barred from the priesthood. In practice, illegitimacy could be less of a stigma in late medieval England than it became between the sixteenth and late twentieth centuries. There were ways of making provision for illegitimate offspring and some bastards did extremely well: in the church; through marriage; as soldiers; a few even succeeding to the family estates. _The Legitimacy of Bastards_ is the first book to consider the individuals who had illegitimate children, the ways in which they provided for them and attitudes towards both the parents and the bastard children. It also highlights important differences between the views of illegitimacy taken by the Church and by the English law.
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  1. Print length
    216 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword History
  4. Publication date
    25 April 2019
  5. Dimensions
    16.51 x 2.54 x 24.13 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1526716550
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1526716552
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
12 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Helen Musson
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2024
Verified Purchase
Brilliant!
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Sharon Connolly
5.0 out of 5 stars This is so useful! Every one doing history research needs a copy!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2019
I was given a review copy of this by the publisher - but would definitely have bought it for myself!

I often come across non-fiction books about which I think ‘ooh, this could be handy for research’, but every once in a while I come across a book and I just think ‘wow! This is so useful! Every one needs a copy!’ The Legitimacy of Bastards; The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England by Helen Matthews definitely falls in this latter category.

The Legitimacy of Bastards; The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England examines the church and lay laws governing illegitimacy in later medieval England, and portrays the reality of bastard children. Based on the author’s own thesis, the book should be the ‘go to’ tool for anyone who needs to study the stigma, status and reality of illegitimacy in medieval England.

Divided into 6 chapters, The Legitimacy of Bastards; The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England explores the legal status of illegitimate children and the various types – or categories – of illegitimacy within medieval society; whether they be children of unmarried parents, married parents or of members of the clergy dictated their prospects in life and career opportunities. The book also examines the methods used by parents in order to get around the various limitations placed on illegitimate children, such as legal devices, church careers and, of course, marriage.

The Legitimacy of Bastards; The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England looks into illegitimacy throughout all levels of society, from the royal family to the lowly peasant. Incredibly useful to my own research, Helen Matthews presents the experiences of John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey, as a case study of the practicalities of illegitimacy. This chapter helps the reader to understand the life and limitations of a child born outside of marriage, as well as the extraordinary lengths that parents were willing to go in order to advance the prospects of their children.

I had no idea how complex the laws surrounding illegitimacy in England, not just on inheritance, but also on marriage prospects, on the difference between church and state and on the difference between clerical and lay requirements for the legitimisation of a child.

An easy book to read, Helen Matthews has made good use of the materials and evidence available to build a picture of the realities of illegitimacy in later medieval England, not just for the child themselves, but for their families and the legitimate heirs. Impeccably researched and rich in detail The Legitimacy of Bastards; The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England is a wonderful research tool and an engaging read, with none of the dryness that you often find in books developed from academic theses.

The only downside of The Legitimacy of Bastards; The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England is that there are no footnotes, which makes it hard for the researcher to follow up some of the details; however, there is an exhaustive and impressive bibliography and an impressive list of the subjects used in the book for ease of cross-referencing.

The further I read into The Legitimacy of Bastards; The Place of Illegitimate Children in Later Medieval England the more I realised how useful this book will be to any researcher, student of history or casual reader around the subject. The impeccable research and engaging writing style make this a valuable addition to anyone’s medieval library.

I cannot recommend it highly enough!
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Grumpy Historian
4.0 out of 5 stars A guide for scholars, researchers and the general reader
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2021
This book is everything one could ever ask for in the subject of illigitimate children in the Middle Ages. It recounts everything from social attitudes to economic conditions, life oppurtunities and the careers of those born to nobles and knights on the wrong side of the proverbial blanket. Also covered is the the law, land and inheritance customs. It is concise, informative and well-researched.

The glossary at the end was essential, the list of Dramatis Personae allows for the scholar or researcher to find a particular person: but it doesn't just tell you which pages they're mentioned on. It also shows who they are related to, and who their parents were (where known).

This book is utterly invaluable to anyone studying the Mediveal gentry and nobility, landholding or law. It is also, however well-written enough to keep the interest of the casual and curious reader.

Thanks to Pen and Sword books for sending me a copy of this title. All opinions are my own and this in no way influenced my review.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Rebecca Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars Know your history!
Reviewed in the United States on 28 January 2020
Verified Purchase
This book was one that made me sit back and think! I found so much information that I had never considered! We know the side of the royals, they are well documented, but what about the landed gentry? Knights? There are so many different aspects of life that have not been expounded upon as much. This book delved into those shadows. What happens if you had bastard sons, but no legitimate? What about daughters?

These children, although accepted by their parents, were still considered born "on the wrong side of the sheets." While today, many will turn a blind eye, in medieval times, this was not the case. Illegitimate sons were barred from many types of inheritance, although there were some that found the loopholes.

Helen Matthews brings to light many of these children, their families, and the different aspects of their lives - many of which we may not know about. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning about a different part of medieval history, one that is not often discussed, except for royal bastards.

This book is definitely worth the read! Grab it now!
One person found this helpful
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