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Medieval Devon and the West Country under Edward II
1307–1327 CE
Medieval Devon and the West Country under Edward II covers south-west England between 1307 and 1327. Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly were connected by market towns, ports, monasteries, tin mining and royal administration, while difficult terrain and long travel times gave local officials, landholders and communities considerable practical influence.
The context includes bailiffs, coroners, sheriffs, hundred courts, sanctuary, inheritance disputes, maritime trade, piracy and the customary privileges of Dartmoor’s tin miners. Exeter, Tavistock, Crediton and Dartmouth provide urban and ecclesiastical centres within a region whose economy depended on agriculture, wool, metals and coastal shipping.
As a child of the Reign of Edward II, this period connects local murder and social conflict to national instability. Famine, baronial rebellion, the king’s dependence on favourites, war with France and Scotland, and the eventual invasion led by Isabella of France and Roger Mortimer all affected the operation of law and authority in the West Country.
