Table of Contents

Westminster from its origins to the reign of King Edward; the early abbots c970-c1136; the abbots c1138-1173; the abbots 1175-1222; the visible monks; scribes and clerks of Westminster Abbey; the abbey and the hierarchy of the Church; the abbey and the royal Court; the abbey and the courts; tenants and their lands - the outer estates; tenants and their lands - the inner circle; Westminster Abbey in the monastic world; the abbey and the laity; the cults observed at Westminster. Appendices: Westminster Abbey and the monarchy between the reigns of William I and John (1066-1216); "the site of king-making and consecration" - Westminster Abbey and the Crown in the 11th and 12th centuries; the donors of Westminster Abbey charters c1066-1240; Westminster Abbey and its parish churches c1050-1216.

Reviews

`It was near to the royal palace and, until the construction of a palace chapel in the mid-twelfth century, the king, when in residence, heard mass in the abbey. It was the site of coronation and ritual crown-wearing. Westminster is thus to be seen in the context of royal government and the court. To balance this aspect, it is also viewed in the context of the monastic world of Westminster's cells and houses with which it had entered into bonds of conytraternity... Highly readable.' HISTORY A notable addition to a growing body of knowledge about medieval Westminster... from the time when Edward the Confessor adopted the church as his burial place and handsomely endowed it, until the end of John's reign... a dense and learned study. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW Extremely helpful for anyone working with Westminster Abbey and its muniments, and an instructive model for those dealing with other bodies of monastic records. SPECULUM Highly readable. HISTORY Indispensable resource.
*CHURCH HISTORY [US]*