What have the Bentham Project got to give us on that?

On one level, I say we're not here to solve problems because we're here to provide the materials for others to solve problems.

We have two roles.

One is the purely scholarly role of getting the material out in an authentic way.

But having said that, as I then become an interpreter of that material, in terms of the issues you've mentioned, Bentham was one of the founders of liberalism.

He regarded himself as a liberal.

And so there are arguments, there are resources in his writings which supporters of the liberal political system can use.

So what is the scariest thing you've ever had to do as a researcher?

When you study economic history, I'm curious what the evidence is like and if it feels as though you're always reaching through a veil of sorts, never quite getting to the reality.

That's always the sense on one level.

When I was doing my doctorate, I wrote at one stage something like, "He probably thought that." And my supervisor, someone called Barbara Harvey, she said, "What are you doing? You don't probably think it.

You either know it or you don't know it.

And if you don't know it, leave it out." That's sort of old school, but I- it, it appeals to me, really.

I imagine if I walked through a 14th century peasant village on the basis of my understanding from 14th century records, there's undoubtedly a lot of things that would surprise me.

But there are local court records, manorial records that are really the records generated by lords, but include a huge amount-of incidental information directed at the peasantry, including, for example, litigation.

And what would you say are the characteristics of Robert that enabled him to become not just a farmer, but a merchant? Is he particularly clever? Is he a bit of a bully? Do you think he's honest?