Cathedrals and Abbeys of England
The great cathedrals and monastic churches of England are among the most impressive architectural legacies bequeathed to us from the Middle Ages. Not only do they represent the highest levels of medieval craftsmanship and architectural and artistic achievement, but they are also the tangible symbols of a thousand years of religious and intellectual evolution, which created a powerful political and economic force. This course uses documentary, archaeological and architectural evidence to examine the role of the monastery and cathedral in medieval society and the differences between the monastic orders. While the main focus of the course is on sites in England, the wider European background is also considered. Topics include:
- The origins of hermit monasticism in the third and fourth centuries; the lives of the “Desert Fathers” and the continuing influence of the “hermit” ideal.
- Romano-British Christianity; Celtic monasticism in Ireland, Wales and Scotland; and their influence upon the early development of the Anglo-Saxon church.
- The development of diocesan organization and administration, and the architectural evolution of the English cathedral.
- The origins of communal monasticism and the Rule of St. Benedict; Benedictine monasticism in England, the tenth-century reform by St. Dunstan and the impact of the Norman Conquest.
- The influence of Cluny and the Cistercian reform.
- The origins of the regular canons; the Rule of St. Augustine; the Premonstratensians, Gilbertines and other reformed orders of canons.
- The daily routine of the monks and canons and its influence upon monastic
buildings and the planning of the precinct; monastic diet; monastic gardens
and water management. - The monastic and episcopal contribution to the countryside through the management of landed estates.
- The orders of friars: the Franciscans, Dominicans and Carmelites.
- The military orders: the Knights Templars and Hospitallers.
- The Protestant Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Course Requirements
Students are required to write one paper of 1,500 to 2,000 words and to deliver one oral presentation.
Tutor Biography
James Bond is a freelance landscape archaeologist based in North Somerset. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists. He has served as a part-time tutor for various universities for over 40 years, and is currently a Visiting Fellow in the Archaeology Department at the University of Bristol.
Tutor Contact Details: jimserf@aol.com
Field trips
It is intended that the course includes three full-day excursions to the cathedrals of Gloucester, Winchester and Salisbury, the abbeys of Tewkesbury, Malmesbury and Tintern, and the Anglo-Saxon priory church of Deerhurst. Occasionally, however, services such as weddings or funerals may necessitate the closure of a church to visitors at short notice; in such an eventuality, we will do our best to provide an alternative visit.
English cathedral cities were developed long before motor vehicles were invented, and traffic restrictions in some places mean that we may have to alight up to half a mile from the building we are visiting. While no particularly strenuous walking is involved, participants should be prepared to walk short distances through town streets and over footpaths, and able to climb steps which may be steep and uneven.
Introductory Reading
The literature on medieval cathedrals and monasteries is vast. There are no specific set texts for this course, and participants are not required to bring books with them to use in class; instead, students are encouraged to read as widely as possible before their arrival, consulting whatever relevant books they can find. The following list represents a selection of useful introductory and general texts but, in the event of difficulty, many alternatives are readily available. Further guidance on reading is available during the course.
Aston, Mick, Monasteries in the Landscape Stroud, (Tempus, 2000).
[ISBN: 0 7524 1491 7 (PB), 0 7524 1901 3 (HB)]
Bond, James, Monastic Landscapes Stroud, (Tempus, 2004).
(ISBN: 0 7524 1440 2)
Coppack, Glyn, Abbeys and Priories, (London, Batsford / English Heritage, 1990). [ISBN: 0-7134-6308-2]
Greene, J. Patrick, Medieval Monasteries, (Leicester, University Press / New York, St Martin's Press, 1992). [ISBN: 0-7185-1296-0]
Pevsner, Nikolaus & Metcalf, Priscilla, The Cathedrals of England, 2 vols, (New York, Viking / Harmondsworth, Penguin Books, 1985).
Vol.1: Southern England [ISBN: 0-670-80124-0]; Vol.2: Midland, Eastern and Northern England [ISBN: 0-670-80125-9].
Tatton-Brown, Tim and Crook, John, The English Cathedral, London, New Holland, 2002 [ISBN: 1843301202]
Credit and Enrollment Information
X156 History
(EDP 284174)