Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century

First published in 1945, this is still an important explanation of the role of the Church in medieval English society.

John R. H. Moorman (Author)

9781108010184, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 26 August 2010

486 pages, 9 b/w illus. 1 map
21.6 x 14 x 2.8 cm, 0.64 kg

J. R. H. Moorman was one of the foremost Anglican scholars of the English church in the middle ages, and especially of the Franciscan order. First published in 1945, Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century provides a social history of the medieval English church. Two per cent of the population were then in religious orders of some kind, and church authority was at least as powerful as that of the state for the rest of the population. In the first part of the book, Moorman uses original sources to give a picture of the life of the secular clergy, their organisation, finances, training, and the different roles they filled with regard to the laity. The second part concentrates on the monastic orders, arguing that, with the exception of the friars, the great days of the monasteries were over, and that they had entered a period of consolidation and inevitable decline.

Preface
Bibliography
Part 1: 1. The parishes of England
2. Chapels, chantries and collegiate churches
3. Rectors
4. Vicars
5. Assistant clergy
6. The parsonage and its occupants
7. The church and its services
8. The education of the clergy
9. Clerical incomes: (a) from the land
10. Clerical incomes: (b) the offerings of the people
11. Priest and people
12. Preferment
13. The bishop at home
14. On the move
15. Diocesan affairs
16. The demand for reform
17. How this demand was met
Part 2 : 18. English monasteries in the thirteenth century
19. Occupants of the religious houses
20. Administration
21. Financial affairs
22. Daily life of the monasteries
23. The monks' standard of living
24. The monastic contribution to society
25. The glory of the friars
26. Change and decay
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC]