Waterways and Canal-Building in Medieval England

— —

John Blair (Lecturer in Modern History, Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology, Lecturer in Modern History, Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology, Queen's College, Oxford)

Waterways and Canal-Building in Medieval England

John Blair (Lecturer in Modern History, Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology, Lecturer in Modern History, Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology, Queen's College, Oxford)

$101.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
16 October 2014

British & Irish history; Early history: c 500 to c 1450&1500; Historical geography; Medieval European archaeology; Hydraulic engineering

Series: Medieval History and Archaeology

A book centring on late Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman canals may come as a surprise; it is generally assumed that no such things existed. Persuasive evidence has, however, been unearthed independently by several scholars, and has stimulated this first serious study of improved waterways in England between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. England is naturally well-endowed with a network of navigable rivers, especially the easterly systems draining into the Thames, Wash, and Humber. The central middle ages saw innovative and extensive development of this network, including the digging of canals bypassing difficult stretches of rivers, or linking rivers to important production centres. The eleventh and twelfth centuries seem to have been the high point for this dynamic approach to water-transport: after 1200, the improvement of roads and bridges increasingly diverted resources away from the canals, many of which stagnated with the reassertion of natural drainage patterns.

This new perspective has an important bearing on the economy, landscape, settlement patterns, and inter-regional contacts of medieval England. In this volume, economic historians, geographers, geomorphologists, archaeologists, and place-name scholars bring their various skills to bear on a neglected but important aspect of medieval engineering and economic growth.

Edited by: John Blair (Lecturer in Modern History Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology Lecturer in Modern History Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology Queen's College Oxford)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 247mm, Width: 173mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780198723134
ISBN 10: 019872313X
Series: Medieval History and Archaeology
Pages: 330
Publication Date: 16 October 2014
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education , A / AS level
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Blair is Lecturer in Modern History and Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology at Queen's College, Oxford.

Reviews for Waterways and Canal-Building in Medieval England

This book has much new information and many ideas (indluding agendas for future work) which should be explored in order for us to develop a more sophisticated appreciation of the medieval economy. Early Medieval Europe 17 (2) This is a fine book which achieves what it sets out to do. Economic History Review [John Blair] and the contributors to this volume ... should not be unduly modest about their achievement. Society for Landscape Studies This book greatly assists our understanding of the extent of early inland navigation in England. Grahame Boyes, Railway and Canal Society ...an excellent overview... Northern History ...enormously useful...a book which should be warmly welcomed. Bob Silvester The Society for Medieval Archaeology a volume full of insights which makes a stimulating introduction to an important subject. D. Harrison, English Historical Review