The Basset Family: Marriage Connections and Socio-Political Networks in Medieval Staffordshire and Beyond
Abstract
The political
turmoil
of
the
eleventh
to
fourteenth
centuries
in
England
had
far
reaching
consequences
for
nearly
everyone.
Noble
families
especially
had
the
added
pressure
of
ensuring
wise
political
alliances
while
maintaining
and
acquiring
land
and
wealth.
Although
this
pressure
would
have
been
felt
throughout
England,
the
political
and
economic
success
of
the
county
of
Staffordshire,
home
to
the
Basset
family,
hinged
on
its
political
structure,
as
well
as
its
geographical
placement.
Although
it
was
not
as
subject
to
Welsh
invasions
as
neighboring
Shropshire,
such
invasions
had
indirect
destabilizing
effects
on
the
county.
Powerful
baronial
families
of
the
time
sought
to
gain
land
and
favor
through
strategic
alliances.
Marriage
frequently
played
a
role
in
helping
connect
families,
even
across
borders,
and
this
was
the
case
for
people
of
all
social
levels.
As
the
leadership
of
England
fluctuated,
revolts
and
rebellions
called
powerful
families
to
dedicate
their
allegiances
either
to
the
king
or
to
the
rebellion.
Either
way,
during
the
central
and
late
Middle
Ages,
the
West
Midlands
was
an
area
of
unrest.
Between
geography,
weather,
invaders
from
abroad,
and
internal
political
debate,
the
unrest
in
Staffordshire
would
create
an
environment
where
location,
alliances,
and
family
networks
could
make
or
break
a
family’s
successes
or
failures.
Frequently
women
were
used
as
political
connectors,
marrying
into
affluent
families
and
creating
powerful
networking
bonds
that
ensured
a
family’s
success
by
maintaining
control
of
land
and
wealth.
I
argue
that
based
on
the
tenuous
political
world
of
the
twelfth
to
fourteenth
centuries,
family
networking
used
women
as
important
players
in
the
creation
of
power
blocs.
By
probing
a
variety
of
legal
records
and
using
the
Basset
family
in
Staffordshire
as
my
model,
I
aim
to
recover
multiple
generations
of
the
Bassets’
family
networking,
and
the
ways
in
which
women
served
as
conduits
of
power
to
connect
influential
families.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- The Basset Family -- Conclusion: the impact of the Bassets on the Politics and culture of the West Midlands -- Appendix A -- Appendix B
Degree
M.A.