Author Description

To be labeled "of ill repute" in medieval society implied that the person had committed a violation of accepted standards and had stepped beyond the bounds of permissible behavior. To have the reputation "of good repute", however, was powerful enough to acquit a person suspected of a crime or wrongful act. Gender, class, social statues, wealth, connections, bribes, friends, and even the community all played a role in determining who was of good repute and who was not.Of Good and Ill Repute examines the problems of social control in medieval England in the later Middle Ages. In eleven interrelated essays, including three previously unpublished works, Hanawalt explores how social control was maintained in Medieval England. She examines the complex social regulations and stigmatizations that medieval society used to arrive at decisions about certain individuals. Focusing on gender, criminal behavior, law enforcement, village arbitration, and cultural rituals on inclusion and exclusion, Of Good and Ill Repute reflects the most current scholarship on medieval legal history, cultural history, and women's cultural studies.