First published in 1914, The English Borough in the Twelfth Century was based on two lectures delivered in Oxford in 1913 by Adolphus Ballard. The first lecture deals with the subject of the borough from the point of view of the burgess and of the lord, considering the advantages and the responsibilities of each role. The second lecture focuses on the place of the borough in the national organisation, arguing that the character of the oldest boroughs suggest were always part of the royal or national scheme. Published together with appendices and an index, these lectures form a valuable study of the character, governance, and place of the borough in twelfth-century England.