Book excerpt: This is the first study to offer a detailed explanation of the form, structure, and evolution of the manorial records upon which all historical studies of medieval England are based. Beginning with a discussion of the nature and variety of the manor, as well as its origins and developments, the book then proceeds to dissect each category of manorial documents—surveys, extents, rentals, inventories, accounts, and court rolls—which are considered in turn, and exemplified.