'The Right Ordering of Souls': The Parish of All Saints' Bristol on the Eve of the Reformation

493 Pages·2018·6.92 MB·English

by  Clive Burgess

The

R

ight Ordering

S
Of Ouls

The Parish of All Saints’ Bristol on the Eve of the Reformation
clive burgess
Studies in the History of Medieval Religion
VOLUME XLVII
‘the right ordering of souls’
Studies in the History of Medieval Religion
ISSN 0955–2480
Founding Editor
Christopher Harper- Bill
Series Editor
Frances Andrews
Previously published titles in the series
are listed at the back of this volume
‘the right ordering of souls’
the parish of all saints’ bristol
on the eve of the reformation
Clive Burgess
the boydell press
© Clive Burgess 2018
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
The right of Clive Burgess to be identified
as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published 2018
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 978–1–78327–309–6
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mount Hope Ave, Rochester, NY 14620–2731, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
The publisher has no responsibility for the continued existence or accuracy of URLs for
external or third- party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that
any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate
This publication is printed on acid- free paper
In loving memory of my parents
Kathleen and Frank Burgess

Contents
List of illustrations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Abbreviations xiv
Notes xvi
Part I. For the increase of the divine service
1 ‘God is in none land so well served’: 5
Placing the late medieval English parish
Part II. All Saints’, Bristol, and its parishioners
2 ‘To be showed and declared’: Circumstances and sources 59
3 ‘According to the usage there’: Reading testamentary evidence 83
4 ‘Since his decease’: The widows’ might 119
5 ‘God amend them’: The parish wronged 163
Part III. Commemorating the dead
6 ‘In possession for the profit of the church’: 193
Securing commemoration in the parish
7 ‘For all future time’: The Halleways’ Chantry 223
Part IV. Leaders and administrators
8 ‘He procured, moved and stirred’: Clergy as mentors 261
9 ‘Well willed men’: Leaders, managers and parishioners 282
Part V. Ordering the parish
10 ‘Was but single and no thing of beauty’: Enhancing the parish church 331
11 ‘To the laud and the loving of Almighty God’: 383
Increasing divine service in All Saints’
viii contents
Conclusion
‘What else, I ask you, is a city than a great monastery?’ 413
Appendices 425
Bibliography 431
Glossary 446
Index 453
Illustrations
1 Late medieval Bristol, showing major ecclesiastical institutions xviii
2 Central Bristol in the late middle ages xix
3 Sketch plan of All Saints’ parish church xx
4 The Eton College Consolidation Charter, 5 March 1446. Eton College 33
Archives, ECR 39/57. Reproduced by permission of the Provost and
Fellows of Eton College
5 The north aisle of All Saints’, Bristol – the Corn Street frontage 69
The author and publishers are grateful to all the institutions and individuals listed
for permission to reproduce the materials in which they hold copyright. Every effort
has been made to trace the copyright holders; apologies are offered for any omis-
sion, and the publishers will be pleased to add any necessary acknowledgement in
subsequent editions.