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Chichester Archdeaconry depositions, 1603–1608. By Peter M. Wilkinson. (Sussex Record Society, 97.) Pp. xlviii + 310 incl. frontispiece, 3 ills and 3 tables. Lewes: Sussex Record Society, 2017. £25. 978 0 85445 079 4

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Chichester Archdeaconry depositions, 1603–1608. By Peter M. Wilkinson. (Sussex Record Society, 97.) Pp. xlviii + 310 incl. frontispiece, 3 ills and 3 tables. Lewes: Sussex Record Society, 2017. £25. 978 0 85445 079 4

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2019

Kenneth Fincham*
Affiliation:
University of Kent
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Abstract

Type
Reviews
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

Depositions from church court records have long been recognised as invaluable sources for an exploration of the socio-economic and cultural landscape of early modern England, whether it be the impact of plague (Wrightson), domestic interiors (Richardson), marriage practices (O'Hara) or gender relations (Gowing). Relatively few of the records themselves have been edited, usually in summary form or as selections. This volume is to be welcomed since it provides a full and meticulous edition of a single deposition book, supplemented by the accompanying instance act books and some libels, allegations and personal responses which survive in miscellaneous court papers. Other diocesan and parochial records as well as digital resources have been consulted to produce the broadest context in which to understand each case, and there is also a detailed introduction which explains the legal processes followed in instance jurisdiction. The volume contains forty-six disputes chiefly relating to tithe (34 per cent of cases), testamentary (28 per cent), defamation (26 per cent) and matrimonial (6.5 per cent) business. These cases throw incidental light on a host of subjects, most of them indexed, including perambulation, agriculture, hospitality, church rights and parochial customs. As the editor notes, the biographical information about witnesses needs to be treated with caution, since some individuals appear more than once and give rather different statements about age, career and worth. Much careful work lies behind this edition, which is a model of its kind.