A Source-Book of English Social History

This volume invites listeners to step into the classroom of a historian, where ancient records become specimens for the mind. Rather than delivering a narrative, the book strings together excerpts from Saxon law codes, medieval chronicles, parish registers, and letters from traders and explorers. Each fragment is introduced with brief commentary that explains its context and highlights the questions it raises, encouraging listeners to weigh evidence and form their own judgments. The approach reflects a hands‑on method of learning that treats history as an ongoing investigation.

Spanning from early seventh‑century Saxon villages to the bustling streets of London on the eve of the Industrial Revolution, the collection covers law, economics, religion and everyday life. Selections include the Paston correspondence, parliamentary rolls, the writings of Marco Polo and Sir Thomas Roe, and vivid accounts of market practices and enclosure disputes. Hearing the voices of peasants, clergy, merchants and monarchs gives listeners a textured sense of how Britain’s social fabric evolved. The material is presented in a scholarly yet accessible style, useful for students and anyone who enjoys hearing history speak for itself.