A quarter of a million medieval soldier service records published online for the first time, thanks to funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), offer a unique insight into social mobility in the ranks of England's first professional army.
Researchers at the University of Reading and University of Southampton have analysed historic sources such as muster rolls records in the National Archives at Kew and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris (for records of English garrisons in France). The resulting Medieval Soldier database enables people to search for soldiers by surname, rank or year of service.
This research has led to the creation of an invaluable new resource for genealogists and people interested in social, political and military history. This online database contains 250,000 service records of soldiers who saw active duty in the latter phases of the Hundred Years War (1369-1453) and has been published as part of the Medieval Soldier research project.
The researchers have been able to build a picture of the origins of England's first professional army and the database includes the names of many archers who served with Henry V at Agincourt.
The project was undertaken jointly by Dr Adrian Bell at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading and Professor Anne Curry of the University of Southampton.
The online searchable resource, freely available for public use, is accessible at http://www.medievalsoldier.org/
Dr Adrian Bell and Professor Anne Curry will be formally launching the completed database at an international conference, England's Wars, 1272-1399, at the University of Reading on Wednesday 22 July.
Ends
Notes for editors:
Media contact: Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk, 0117 9876 773
About Arts and Humanities Research Council ‐ Each year the AHRC provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute over a quarter of all research‐active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.