Monasteries and Society in the British Isles in the Later Middle Ages

269 Pages·2008·4.089 MB·English

by  Janet Burton (Editor), Karen Stöber (Editor)

Studies in the History of Medieval Religion
VOLUME XXXV
MOnaStERiES and SOciEty in
tHE BRitiSH iSLES
in tHE LatER MiddLE agES
Studies in the History of Medieval Religion
iSSn 0955–2480
General Editor
christopher Harper-Bill
Previously published titles in the series
are listed at the back of this volume
MOnaStERiES and SOciEty in
tHE BRitiSH iSLES
in tHE LatER MiddLE agES
Edited by
JanEt BURtOn
KaREn StÖBER
tHE BOydELL PRESS
© contributors 2008
All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
First published 2008
the Boydell Press, Woodbridge
iSBn 978–1–84383–386–4
the Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk iP12 3dF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer inc.
668 Mt Hope avenue, Rochester, ny 14620, USa
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
a catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
this publication is printed on acid-free paper
Printed in great Britain by
antony Rowe Ltd, chippenham, Wiltshire
contents
List of illustrations vii
acknowledgements ix
List of contributors xi
abbreviations xiii
introduction Janet Burton and Karen Stöber 1
The Meeting of the Worlds
1 the social networks of late medieval Welsh monasteries 11
Karen Stöber
2 cistercian hospitality in the later Middle ages 25
Julie Kerr
3 cistercians and border conflicts: Some comparisons between 40
the experiences of Scotland and Pomerania
Emilia Jamroziak
4 ‘not a thing for a stranger to enter upon’: the selection of monastic 51
superiors in late medieval and tudor England
Martin Heale
Religious Houses and their Patrons and Benefactors
5 Patronage, prestige and politics: the Observant Franciscans 71
at adare
Colmán Ó Clabaigh
6 the augustinian priory of Wombridge and its benefactors in the 83
later Middle ages
Andrew Abram
7 the rising price of piety in the later Middle ages 95
Michael Hicks
Female Communities: Nuns, Abbesses and Prioresses
8 Looking for medieval nuns 113
Janet Burton
9 ‘Quhat say ye now, my lady priores? How have ye usit your office, 124
can ye ges?’: Politics, power and realities of the office of a prioress
in her community in late medieval Scotland
Kimm Perkins-Curran
Monasteries and Education
10 Monasteries and secular education in late medieval England 145
James G. Clark
11 ‘Make straight in the desert a highway for our God’: Carthusians 168
and community in late medieval England
Glyn Coppack
Monasteries and Urban Space
12 Early Franciscan legislation and lay society 183
Jens Röhrkasten
13 The Austin Friars in late medieval Canterbury: Negotiating spaces 197
Sheila Sweetinburgh
Religious Houses in the Regions
14 Monasteries in medieval Cornwall: Mediocrity or merit? 213
Nicholas Orme
15 Monasteries and society in sixteenth-century Yorkshire: The last 229
years of Roche Abbey
Claire Cross
Index of Religious Houses mentioned in the text 241
Index 249
illustrations
9.1 the tomb effigy of Prioress anna Maclean of iona: the image of 138
anna (reproduced by courtesy of RcaHMS)
9.2 the tomb effigy of Prioress anna Maclean of iona: the mirrored 138
images of anna and the Virgin Mary
(reproduced by courtesy of RcaHMS)
9.3 Soroby, tiree: the front of the shaft of a celtic cross dedicated to 139
the church of Soroby by Prioress anna Maclean of iona
(reproduced by courtesy of RcaHMS)
9.4 tomb effigy of a prioress of abbey St Bathans 139
(reproduced by courtesy of RcaHMS)
9.5 tomb effigy of Prioress Blanche of Lincluden, c. 1390 140
11.1 the small carthusian church at Mount grace (glyn coppack) 169
11.2 the four phases of development of the Mount grace church 170
(glyn coppack)
11.3 Reconstruction of the Mount grace church as it appeared in the 172
early sixteenth century (Simon Hayfield/English Heritage)
11.4 the excavations of the eastern cells of the great cloister at Mount 174
grace (Laurence Keen)
11.5 Finds from cell 11 at Mount grace, including a retrograde Iesus 175
Nazarenus strip and the mould for casting type (English Heritage)
11.6 the pardon panel from cell 10 at Mount grace (James Barfoot) 177
13.1 Map of canterbury c. 1500 (map organised by andrew Savage, 200
canterbury archaeological trust, and drawn by Peter atkinson
and Will Foster, canterbury archaeological trust)
14.1 Map showing monasteries in cornwall, 1100–1539 214

acknowledgements
the editors would like to thank all concerned with the preparation and produc-
tion of this book: the contributors to the volume for their patience and willing-
ness to answer our editorial queries quickly and efficiently; our colleagues at the
University of Wales, Lampeter, and aberystwyth University, for their help and
encouragement; and the staff of gregynog Hall, Powys, the University of Wales
conference centre, which hosted the colloquium in april 2005 out of which
this volume has grown. thanks are also due to Robert Pearce, Vice-chancellor
of the University of Wales, Lampeter, for an award from the Pantyfedwen fund
towards the costs of production of the book, and to caroline Palmer and all
the staff at Boydell and Brewer for their efficiency and kindness throughout the
process of seeing it through to final publication.
Janet Burton
Karen Stöber
June 2007