The Angevins and the Charter (1154-1216)

What it is

This is a school source book in the Bell's English History Source Books series, written by S. M. Toyne and published in London by G. Bell and Sons in 1913. Its subtitle is The Beginning of English Law, the Invasion of Ireland and the Crusades. Toyne was headmaster of St. Peter's School, York. The book covers the Angevin period from 1154 to 1216 and includes source material for teachers and students.

Why it matters

The book shows how early twentieth-century teachers were taught to present the thirteenth-century charter. Its introduction explains that the series was meant to be used alongside an ordinary textbook, either to illustrate a lesson or to encourage students to draw their own conclusions.

Look closer

• Which documents does the book choose to present, and how does it guide readers to understand them?
• How does grouping law, Ireland and the Crusades together shape the story of this period?
• What might a 1913 school book leave out about the people who lived under the charter?