This lesson builds on the work done in the previous enquiry (‘What was it like to be disabled in the medieval period?’), focusing on the experiences of people who suffered from mental health problems.
It zooms in on the case of Emma de Beston.
Emma was a 14th century widow and landowner who found herself at the centre of a court case set up to determine the extent of her mental ‘decline’.
Students examine Emma’s case in detail, at each stage determining whether she was treated ‘fairly’. Did officials dealing with the case showed good ‘understanding’ when it came to mental ill-health.
Students develop their understanding of the surprisingly complex legal apparatus that existed for dealing with similar cases in the medieval period, before reaching their final conclusions about the experiences of Emma de Beston.
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- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up: PDF
- Worksheet 1: PDF
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