Monasteries, convents and double monasteries like the one at Cookham, where men and women lived and prayed together, were political, social, artistic and cultural hubs. They were run by the most powerful people in the country, and were the nexus of education, medicine, science, technology, writing and both secular and religious influence. This establishment, overseen by Abbess Cynethryth at the end of the eighth century, would have rivalled the royal court in terms of luxury and wealth.
