Archbishop Simon Sudbury's register is something of a rarity. Of the eleven archbishops of Canterbury in the fourteenth century the registers of only seven have survived, and of these only two have been published: a portion of theregister of Robert Winchelsey (1295-1313) and the register of the brief episcopate of Simon Langham (1366-68).
Sudbury became archbishop of Canterbury in 1375 while England was at war with France and while the church was about to split in two by schism. His register reveals all of this, but much more. There is the day-to-day administration of the church: clergy ordained, parishes filled, disputes settled, wills proved and much else. It shows Sudburyas a conscientious pastor animarum and an able administrator, as well as a skilled canon lawyer, who tried to steer a smooth course against the monetary demands of the crown, which were to lead to the Peasants' Revolt and to his own assassination on Tower Hill.
This volume is a calendar edition of Archbishop Sudbury's register: it contains an English-language summary of each entry, including every place name and personal name and date. An introduction records the making of the register and a summary of its contents; notes elucidate particular points; and a full index allows easy access to references.