The regulation of ‘nuisance’: civic government and the built environment in the medieval city

Resumo

The term ‘nuisance’ in later medieval England covered a wide range of minor offences which were regulated by the very lowest level of public courts in the parishes and wards (quarters) of England’s towns and cities. Nuisance offences included offences against the built environment such as the failure to repair ruined buildings, the obstruction of roadsand ditches or the illegal disposal of waste. They also included offences of social misconduct such as breaking the curfew, scolding and other anti-social behaviors. Although ordinancesand statutes for these offences were made in the central city courts it was up to juries oflocal householders to determine and present offences within their neighborhood. Local people of modest social status thus controlled much of the business that came before the courts. The surviving records of these courts therefore provide valuable evidence for exploring changing attitudes to the built environment in towns and the social and political contexts of environmental regulation.

Keywords: Nuisance, English medieval towns, Medieval crimes and courts, Pollution andurban and social regulations