The Church and Vale of Evesham, 700-1215: Lordship, Landscape and Prayer (Studies in the History of Medieval Religion, 44) - Hardcover

Cox, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1783270772 ISBN 13: 9781783270774

Publisher: Boydell Press, 2015

Synopsis

"Provides a fine contribution to the rich history of the region, showing Evesham's place in the life of the medieval kingdom of England." Professor Ann Williams. In c.701, a minster was founded in the lower Avon Valley on a deserted promontory called Evesham. Over the next five hundred years it became a Benedictine abbey and turned the Vale of Evesham into a federation of Christian communities. A landscape of scattered farms grew into one of open fields and villages, manor houses and chapels. Evesham itself developed into a town, and the abbots played a role in the affairs of the kingdom. But individual contemplation and prayer within the abbey were compromised by its corporate aspirations. As Evesham abbey waxed ever grander, exerting a national influence, it became a ready patron of the arts but had less time for private spirituality. The story ends badly in the prolonged scandal of Abbot Norreis, a libertine whose appetites caused religion to collapse at Evesham before his own sudden downfall. This book integrates the evidence of archaeology, maps, and documents in a continuous narrative that pays as much attention to religious and cultural life as to institutional and economic matters. It provides a complete survey over one of the most important and wealthy Benedictine abbeys and its landscape, a stage on which was enacted the tense interplay of lordship and prayer. Dr David Cox, FSA, was until his retirement county editor of the Victoria History of Shropshire and lecturer at Keele University.

About this title

About the Author:

Independent scholar

Review:

This enjoyable study gives us not only an authoritative and most informative history of Evesham Abbey to 1215 but also a valuable overview of the medieval origins of the landscape of the borough of Evesham and the surrounding Vale. EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE Provides students, academics and general readers with an accessible, interesting and scholarly account of Evesham Abbey. HISTORY A valuable addition to Studies in the History of Medieval Religion published by Boydell Press, Cox skillfully blends chronology with a thematic approach in his book . interesting and scholarly . People interested in medieval or monastic history will appreciate this book. AMERICAN BENEDICTINE REVIEW An interesting and scholarly book which chronicles the humble beginnings of a monastery which interacted with and influenced the social and economic life of the local area . People interested in medieval or monastic history will appreciate this book. SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL This is a thorough historical study of one of the most important medieval abbeys in the West Midlands, usefully set against the region's political history. LANDSCAPE HISTORY Essential reading for all interested in the history of Evesham and of religion in the diocese of Worcester. WORCESTERSHIRE RECORDER

About this edition

• Publisher: Boydell Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1783270772
• ISBN 13: 9781783270774
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 248