The Records of Early English Drama (REED) series aims to establish the context for the great drama of Britain's past by examining material related to drama, secular music, and other communal entertainment and ceremony from the Middle Ages until the mid-seventeenth century. This latest volume in the series is a collection of documentary evidence for dramatic performance, minstrelsy, and civic ceremony in Cheshire to 1642. Editors Elizabeth Baldwin and David Mills have provided introductions detailing the historical background and significance of the documents presented, as well as a full apparatus of document descriptions, explanatory and textual notes and glossaries. Cheshire completes the series of REED volumes on the West of England, and incorporates an updated version of the early Chester volume, as well as providing extensive new material on the county of Cheshire as a whole, making it an essential addition to this much-admired series.

This is the first comprehensive study of Tudor drama that sees the long 16th century from the accession of Henry Tudor to the death of Elizabeth as a whole, taking in the numinous drama of the 'Mystery Plays' and the early work of Shakespeare. It is an invaluable account of current scholarship and an introduction to the complexity of Tudor drama.

This volume brings together important records of medieval theatre practice between 1400 and 1580. The records are drawn from a wide range of spheres including civic, ecclesiastical, trade and guild records and consist of payments for materials, techniques and services; also included are some eye witness accounts. Alongside these records is a selection of the best contemporary research conducted into medieval performance practice, which features ground-breaking analysis and challenges current understanding, knowledge and authority in this field. These contributions of rigorous scholarship complement and support the work of the well-known Records of Early English Drama project and help to further illuminate contemporary fifteenth and early sixteenth-century theatre performance practice.

This volume brings together a selection of the major articles of David Mills (1938-2013), which along with similar volumes by Alexandra F. Johnston, Peter Meredith and Meg Twycross makes up a set of "Shifting Paradigms in Early English Drama Studies". Mills was one of these four key scholars whose work has changed what is known about English medieval drama and theatre. He made major contributions to understanding English medieval theatre in the widest sense but more specifically to the nature and development of medieval plays and their performance at Chester. The scope of his work from manuscript to performance has created new knowledge and insights brought about by his remarkable technical skill as an editor and researcher. His texts of the Chester Cycle of Mystery Plays have become the standard works. In the light of this outstanding research the volume is comprised of four sections: 1. Editors and Editing; 2. Cultural Contexts; 3. Staging and Performance; 4. Criticism and Evaluation. An editorial introduction opens the work.

While the Victorian period marked a significant phase in the development of the ancient cathedral city of Chester, references to Victorian Chester have been notable for their absence from recent scholarship. Based on extensive local research, this volume of essays breaks new ground by examining some important aspects of the social history of Chester between 1830 and 1900. By combining detailed case studies of specific themes with wider discussion, these essays explore the ways in which Cestrian society reacted to the changing circumstances of the Victorian period and analyse local perceptions of, and responses to, a range of contemporary social problems. As such, this original study not only illuminates the social and cultural history of the period, but also illustrates both the complexity and diversity of Victorian cities. It includes the most comprehensive bibliography of Victorian Chester to date.

Since it was first published in 1982 British Archives has established itself as the premier reference work to holdings of archives and manuscript collections throughout the UK. The 3rd edition has been extensively revised and enlarged with more than 150 new entries, further widening the range of the book. Entries are structured to show the archives of the organisation as distinct from deposited collections and significant non-manuscript material, and additional details of fax number and conservation provision are included for the first time. All the existing entries have been significantly updated, together with the select bibliography and list of useful addresses of various organisations involved in the care and custody of archives. The introduction provides an invaluable guide to researchers using archives, including a summary of the relevant legislation and a detailed description of the usual holdings of county and other local authority record offices.

British Archives is the foremost reference guide to archive resources in the UK. Since publication of the first edition more than ten years ago, it has established itself as an indispensable reference source for everyone who needs rapid access on archives and archive repositories in this country. Over 1200 entries provide detailed information on the nature and extent of the collection as well as the organization holding it. A typical entry includes: name of repositiony; parent organization ; address, telephone, fax, email and website; number for enquiries; days and hours of opening; access restrictions; acquisitions policy; archives of organization; major collections; non-manuscript material; finding aids; facilities; conservation; publications New to this edition: email and web address; expanded bibliography; consolidated repository and collections index

The Chester Cycle in Context, 1555-1575 considers the implications of recent archival research which has profoundly changed our view of the continuation of performances of Chester's civic biblical play cycle into the reign of Elizabeth I. Scholars now view the decline and ultimate abandonment of civic religious drama as the result of a complex network of local pressures, heavily dependent upon individual civic and ecclesiastical authorities, rather than a result of a nation-wide policy of suppression, as had previously been assumed.

“Cheshire - Its Traditions and History” is a fascinating account of the history of Cheshire, a county in North West England. This concise history of the English county spans the earliest records to modern times, exploring the introduction of Christianity, its history of conformity, government, traditions, folklore, and much more. This volume will appeal to those with an interest in Cheshire's interesting history, as well as the history of England itself. Contents include: “Prehistoric Salt Mines—Poets and Geological Science”, “The Genesis of Cheshire History—Sir Peter Leycester's Illustrious Work”, “Feudalism and the Divine Right of Kings”, “Whence Came Christianity to Cheshire—Cheshire Saints”, “Foundation of Nonconformity to Cheshire?--Cheshire Saints”, “Foundation of Nonconformity in England”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with the original text and artwork.

Covering a period of nearly 40 years’ work by the author this collection of essays in the Shifting Paradigms in Early English Drama Studies series brings the perspective of a Drama academic and practitioner of early English plays to the understanding of how medieval plays and Robin Hood games of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were performed. It explores why, where, when, and how the plays happened, who took part, and who were the audiences. The insights are informed by a combination of research and the public presentation of surviving texts. The research included in the volume unites the early English experiences of religious and secular performance. This recognition challenges the dominant critical distinction of the past between the two and the consequent privileging of biblical and moral plays over secular entertainments. What further binds, rather than separates, the two is that the destination of funds raised by the different activities maintained the civic and parochial needs of the institutions upon which the people depended. This collection redefines the inclusive nature and common interests of the purposes that lay behind generically different undertakings. They shared an extraordinary investment of human and financial resources in the anticipation of a profit that was pious and practical. (CS1081).