This book gives the first full account of the liberty of Penrith in the thirteenth century, and sets it within the wider context of medieval British history.
The liberty was created for the kings of Scots in return for abandoning claims to the northern English shires in 1237. What part did they play in Cumbrian society, did their tenants regard them as 'good lords', and what characterised their dealings with the English crown? Such questions are explored against a backdrop of the light-touch royal governance typical of England.