The earls of Edward III and the polity: the earls of Arundel and Northampton in the localities, 1330–60

Abstract

This article examines the retinues of two English earls from 1330–60 to ascertain the extent and nature of their local influence, within a wider context of military activity and the changing form of local government and peacekeeping. It demonstrates that the followers of the earl of Northampton in Essex were recruited largely for military purposes but that those of the earl of Arundel in Sussex enjoyed a substantial degree of influence over local government. Ultimately, this article argues that comital influence in local government was imposed by Edward III as part of the growth of government through the mid fourteenth century.