Image: courtesy of Staffordshire Record Office
Just performing some research into some aspects of the late-medieval ecclesiastical courts on a vague whim. To date, I’ve perused the equivalent of three years (March 1468-June 1471) in the Lichfield consistory court. The data are held in a LibreOffice Base database. A quick and dirty examination produces these numbers.
| Total causes | 284 |
| fidei laesio | 79 |
| defamation | 51 |
| testamentary | 44 |
| detinue of church goods | 24 |
| matrimonial | 22 |
| divorce a mensa et thoro | 17 |
| tithes | 16 |
| adherence to marital vows | 6 |
| usury | 2 |
The rest are sundries.
Updating the numbers for 30 March 1468 now to 10 April 1473.
| Total causes | 493 |
| fidei laesio | 157 |
| defamation | 76 |
| testamentary | 74 |
| detinue of church goods | 31 |
| matrimonial | 37 |
| divorce a mensa et thoro | 41 |
| tithes | 25 |
| adherence to marital vows | 11 |
| usury | 7 |