Acknowledgements
I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by wonderful people while writing this book. At the beginning of this journey was Christian Liddy, who first introduced me to the guild at Ludlow when I began my PhD under his supervision. In the intervening years, he has offered me support, wisdom, feedback and friendship. I have benefited enormously from the kindness of colleagues at institutions at which I have worked while writing this book. At Durham, Graeme Small provided support as an additional supervisor of the thesis that inspired this book. Alex Brown and Charlie Rozier generously read an initial proposal for this book and gave suggestions for its shape and structure. The entire department at Durham was endlessly encouraging and I am grateful for the friendships that were formed while holding a lectureship there. In particular, I would like to thank Erika Graham-Goering, Marc Jaffré, Justine Trombley, Daisy Livingston, Laura Channing, Liam Liburd, Harry Mawdsley, Helen Roche and Tom Hamilton. At Bristol, Brendan Smith, Kathleen Kennedy and Ad Putter graciously took time to discuss ideas with me. I am grateful to Helen Fulton, Matt Lampitt, Abi Freeman and Mike Jones for creating a productive and joyful research environment over the past eighteen months as part of the ‘Mapping the March’ team. In addition, Mike Jones kindly provided me with a copy of his thesis. Above all, this book would not have been completed without the kindness of Helen Fulton, who is the model of a supportive mentor and boss.
Colleagues working within my field have been generous enough to share their ideas and research with me. Ian Forrest and Alex Brown offered incredibly supportive and rigorous feedback on my thesis and suggestions for next steps for how to write Forging Fraternity. James Lee kindly shared a copy of his PhD thesis and Maggie Bolton provided me with relevant references to the Skinners. Elizabeth New was extremely generous in offering a close reading of a draft of this book, offering comments, questions and encouragement which increased both the reach of this book and my own confidence in it. Elizabeth Hurren likewise provided valuable feedback and support as one of the series editors of New Historical Perspectives. I would like to express my thanks to the University of London Press team, in particular Emma Gallon. The archivists at Shropshire Archive have provided valuable services and support over the course of my research, and I am particularly grateful to Kerry Evans for his assistance. I wish to also thank the late Clive Burgess who, upon our meeting in 2017, was characteristically swift to offer kindness and support, and to likewise offer thanks to Caroline Barron and Adele Sykes.
I have been fortunate to benefit from financial support. The writing for this book has been supported by ‘Mapping the Medieval March: Wales and England, c. 1282–1550’, selected for funding by the European Research Council (101054383) and funded by the UK Research and Innovation Horizon Guarantee scheme (EP/X027880/1). I am also grateful for the financial assistance received from the Yorkist History Trust to produce the maps. Craig Asquith’s expertise and hard work has led to maps which, I hope, present the reader with a sense of just how extensive guild membership was in late medieval society.
Many dear friends outside the academic world have attempted to keep me sane and provide distraction and levity. I am particularly grateful to Ruhee Ismail-Teja, Jordyn Gibson and Caleigh Boyle, who have always been, and will always be, my biggest cheerleaders. Special thanks must be given to Kate Marlow, who not only provided friendship but also read the majority of an earlier draft, providing erudite comments that significantly enhanced the readability and impact of my arguments.
I would like to thank my family for their support over the past couple of years as I have written this book. My greatest debt of gratitude is to my husband, Richard Asquith, who has not only read this book in its entirety, offering comments and advice, but who has also demonstrated support, patience and love throughout this whole process.