ABSTRACT

As the holder of the earldoms of Derby, Leicester and Lincoln, John of Gaunt received titles which reflected concentrations of properties in their particular shires, but minimal public rights. The proportion of Lancastrian retainers appointed in Gaunt's time to the commission of peace was at most a third, and these were men well qualified for the office. There are various possible explanations for Gaunt's moderation over the shire's government. Attempts at domination might have been counter-productive if they had gone against the traditional grain of regional politics. In the unstable market conditions of the later fourteenth century, ducal stewards often sought to make leases on favourable terms for their master as a more assured source of income than the sometimes uncertain returns from sale of crops and stock. On many of the northern estates, often emparked, stock-raising was predominant and agistment was an important source of revenue as well as the keeping of herds.