"The Bailiffs' Minute Book of 1404-30 is the single most substantial and informative document to have survived from the borough's medieval archive. It provides new insights into Dunwich's bitter legal dispute with neighbouring Walberswick, its system of government, the election and payment of its MPs, and the men who administered and financed the town. Of greater importance are the many references to the fortunes and organisation of the fishing industry. The Minute Book also contains a number of detailed tax assessments, revealing how Dunwich, like all local communities, shared the burden of royal lay subsidies. These assessments are among the first of their kind to be published."--Provided by the publisher.