Medieval Southwark /

The aim of this study is to trace the urban development of medieval Southwark, London's southern suburb, to 1550 and to compare Southwark to other medieval suburbs and towns and especially to explore its relationship with London. Carlin reconstructs Southwark's administrative, social, and economic history through the use of astonishingly abundant sources, resulting in a remarkably complete picture of Southwark from Roman occupation through the 16th century. In many ways Southwark provides a model for the examination of other medieval towns, although its proximity to London and its unusual administrative structure make it unique. The book is well written and superbly researched; however, its thoroughness sometimes makes for slow reading. The most interesting chapters are "Inns and Alehouses, Hucksters and Victuallers," "The Stews and Prostitution," and "Urbanization." In these, medieval urban society comes to life with wonderful work on air and water conditions, street maintenance, public sanitation, fire prevention, and traffic control. There are a number of useful maps and tables, particularly those dealing with demographics. The bibliography is a model for students. Not only an important contribution to the study of medieval urban history, but also valuable to those studying urbanization or medieval social history in general. Highly recommended for undergraduates and above. J. J. Butt James Madison University