Bertha Haven Putnam (1872 – February 26, 1960) was an American historian, specialising on the

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

and administrative history of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

England. Putnam grew up in Philadelphia, the daughter of

George Haven Putnam George Haven Putnam A.M., Litt.D. (April 2, 1844 – February 27, 1930) was an American publisher, soldier, and writer. He was the president of G. P. Putnam's Sons for its first 52 years, from 1872. Biography The eldest son of publisher George Pa ...

, author and publisher, and son of the publisher

George Palmer Putnam George Palmer Putnam (February 7, 1814 – December 20, 1872) was an American publisher and author. He founded the firm G. P. Putnam's Sons and ''Putnam's Magazine''. He was an advocate of international copyright reform, secretary for many year ...

. She attended

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

, and got her bachelor's degree in 1893. She later taught at the

Brearley School The Brearley School is an American all-girls private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. It educates approximately 770 girls in grades K–12, with approximately 50 to 65 students per grade. In addition to being a member ...

in New York City, before getting her doctorate from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1908. She started teaching at

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

in 1908, and was made professor in 1924. Here she remained until her retirement in 1937. Her career, from Bryn Mawr to Holyoke, ran parallel to that of Nellie Neilson, a fellow medievalist. She also worked closely with

Eileen Power Eileen Edna Le Poer Power (9 January 18898 August 1940) was a British economic historian and medievalist. Early life and education Eileen Power was the eldest daughter of a stockbroker and was born at Altrincham, Cheshire (now part of Greate ...

and

Helen Cam Helen Maud Cam, (22 August 1885 – 9 February 1968) was an English historian of the Middle Ages, and the first woman to be appointed a tenured professor at Harvard University. Life and career Cam was born at Abingdon, Berkshire (now Oxfords ...

. An attack of

shingles Shingles, also known as herpes zoster or zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. T ...

left her partially blind in the late 1940s. Putnam died of

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...

South Hadley South Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts. South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke College, South ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

in 1960. Her main focus was the office of the Justice of the Peace, and how it developed from the

Conservator of the Peace In ancient British customs, Conservators of the Peace (), or Wardens of the Peace, were individuals who had a special charge, by virtue of their office, to see that the King's peace was kept. England The 18th century legal writer Thomas Edlyne T ...

in the early- to mid-14th century. In particular she proved the importance of the

Statute of Labourers The Statute of Labourers ( 25 Edw. 3. Stat. 2) was an act of the Parliament of England under King Edward III in 1351 in response to a labour shortage, which aimed at regulating the labour force by prohibiting requesting or offering a wage hig ...

in giving these officers the right to decide cases, and thereby establishing them as justices. The change was sanctioned by the Statute of Westminster of 1361. Some of her main contentions, particularly that this process represented a radical devolution of judicial authority to the localities, have since been challenged.Musson and Ormrod, pp. 2-3.

Bibliography

*
The Enforcement of the Statutes of Labourers during the first decade after the Black Death, 1349-1359
'. (1908). * ''Early Treatises on the Practice of the Justices of the Peace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries''. Clarendon Press: Oxford (1924). * ''Kent Keepers of the Peace, 1316-1317''. (ed., 1933) * ''Yorkshire Sessions of the Peace, 1361-1364''. (ed., 1939) * ''The Place in Legal History of Sir William Shareshull, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, 1350-1361: A Study of Judicial & Administrative Methods in the Reign of Edward III''. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge (1950)

References

Sources

* (Login required) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Putnam, Bertha 1872 births 1960 deaths American medievalists American women medievalists American legal historians Bryn Mawr College alumni Columbia University alumni Mount Holyoke College faculty Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America American women legal scholars American legal scholars