Thomas Haslam MA Student
Supervisors: Dr. Frank Klaassen and Dr. Sharon WrightMy thesis investigates the relationship between communities and institutions, through the example of a 15th century church court. Using a primary source base of legal manuscripts, I analyse cases of lenocinium—sexual pandering—prosecuted in the diocese of Hereford, England. As a vague and malleable charge, lenocinium encompassed diverse modes of aiding/abetting: from parents permitting adolescent fornication; to spouses consenting to adultery; to remunerated pimping and procuring. I argue that these diverse cases reflect an ongoing, gendered discourse between court and community over 3rd party responsibility. Through a comparative study of sessions held in two rural communities between 1440 and 1480, I aim to demonstrate how such 3rd party responsibility enabled court and community to negotiate with one another and satisfy their respective jurisprudential and social needs. In effect, I argue that cases of lenociniumreflect a conceptual lynchpin needed to sustain the “court-community symbiosis” previously established in legal and social church court historiography.