The Abbeys and Priories of Medieval England

by Colin Platt

The spiritual and material concerns of England's great religious houses, from ecstasy to accounting, fashioned medieval society more deeply than the modern observer can readily grasp. Through manuscript records and the fragments of once unequalled architecture, the author gives a vivid and meticulous account of medieval monasticism in all its aspects. He describes how monasticism in England collapsed so quickly after centuries of growth, and discusses what was to be the fate of so much learning, art and architecture, and of the men and women who had sustained them.

Genres: Medieval, British Literature, History

270 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work presents an enticing historical background and overview of exactly what its title conveys, and boasts a welcomed 187 illustrations and photographs, including a number of structures that survived the Dissolution. Walking through the world of architecture, interior design, related historical details, and photographic splendors, will satisfy readers. Interpretation of these histories, of course, can be noted by the reader for use in more exhaustive research at a later time, investigating any and all original source documents available as well as those referred to in this work.

The lives of many are highlighted and we read about the Black Death, the sweating sickness, etc., that all contributed to drastic declines in the numbers of those within the walls of Abbeys and Priories. "The plague was at its most deadly in the spring and summer of 1349, when it carried of fully half the community at Westminster Abbey, taking the abbot and most monks at the great house of St. Albans, and reducing many smaller communities to near-ruin."

Works that may be of additional interest to you:

-Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism - William Harmless
-The Coming of the Friars by Augustus Jessopp
-The Other Friars: The Carmelite, Augustinian, Sack & Pied Friars in the Middle Ages by Frances Andrews
-The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck: His Journey to the Court of the Great Khan Moengke, 1253-1255 by Peter Jackson
-World Shapers: A Treasury of Quotes From Great Missionaries - Compiled by Vinita Hampton and Carol Plueddemann

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent pictures and information.