ABSTRACT
The phases of the baronial opposition which provide best instances of their policy have been considered, and before the explanation for the failure of that policy is attempted, the results of their experiments must be mentioned briefly. The Ordinances formed the basic program of the baronial opposition. They contained the ideals which the barons sought to see in administrative operation and legislative force. The results of the experiments of the baronial opposition, starting with the Ordinances of 1311 and concluding with the exile of the Despensers in 1321, will have to be considered from two points, the immediate and the final. Besides the great program of reform of the Ordinances, useful legislation was passed under baronial auspices in the Statutes of Lincoln of 1316 and York of 1318. When the raw material of the baronial plans and their ultimate results have been considered, the final results of the machinery by which the barons sought to attain the execution of their schemes will have to be estimated. Besides the direct influence of the baronial opposition, there were various indirect results which are found in the administrative reforms of the later portion of the reign. Inasmuch as those reforms were composed of various elements and occasioned by various reasons, among which the indirect influence of the baronial opposition was not paramount, they will be considered separately1.
