Gender and Heresy: Women and Men in Lollard Communities, 1420-1530 (The Middle Ages Series)

Shannon Mcsheffrey Studies The Communities Of The Late Medieval English Heretics, The Lollards, And Presents Unexpected Conclusions About The Precise Ways In Which Gender Shaped Participation Within The Movement. While Much Recent Scholarship Has Contended That Heresies Offered Medieval Women Opportunities For Religious And Social Expression That They Could Not Find In Orthodoxy, Gender And Heresy Demonstrates That The Lollard Movement Provided No Such Outlet. Within Lollardy, Challenges To Orthodoxy Did Not Lead To Questioning Of Dominant Medieval Gender Categories. Mcsheffrey Examines The Archival And Printed Sources For The Later Lollard Communities To Analyze The Activities, Relationships, And Beliefs Of The Individuals Who Made Up These Groups. Her Study Emphasizes How Complex Interactions Between Socioeconomic Status, Gender Identities, And Religious Culture Shaped Participation In Religious Movements. Gender And Religious Deviance -- Lollardy -- The Communities -- The Lollards Of Coventry -- The Lollard Prosecutions In Coventry -- The Coventry Conventicles -- Coventry's Civic Oligarchy And The Lollard Community -- The Coventry Lollard Community In Perspective -- The Lollard Communities -- Schools And Conventicles -- Lollard Activities Outside The Conventicles -- Lollards And Recruitment To The Sect -- Lollards And The Family -- Lollard Beliefs And The Family -- Family Relationships In The Lollard Communities -- Gender And Social Status -- Prominent Women In Lollardy -- Prominent Men And Elite Men In Lollardy -- Conclusion: Lollardy, Gender, And Late Medieval Religious Culture -- Women And Late Medieval Religion -- Lollardy And Orthodoxy -- Gender And Religion -- The Lollard Communities -- Alnwick's Prosecutions In East Angelia, 1428-31 -- Chedworth's Prosecutions In The Chiltern Hills, 1462-64 -- Langton's Prosecutions In The Diocese Of Salisbury, 1485-91 -- J. Blythe's Prosecutions In The Diocese Of Salisbury, 1499 -- Audley's Prosecutions In The Diocese Of Salisbury, 1502-21 -- Prosecutions And Detections In The Dioceses Of Salisbury And Winchester Before Bishop Longland, C. 1521 -- Smith's And Longland's Prosecutions In The Diocese Of Lincoln, 1500-1530 -- Prosecutions In London And Environs And Hertfordshire, 1500-1530 -- Prosecutions In Essex And Hertfordshire, 1500-1530 -- Warham's Prosecutions In The Diocese Of Canterbury, 1511-12 -- Hales's And G. Blyth's Prosecutions In Coventry, 1485-1512. Shannon Mcsheffrey. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [223]-240) And Index. Cover 1 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 List of Illustrations 9 List of Abbreviations 11 Acknowledgments 15 1. Introduction 17 Gender and Religious Deviance 17 Lollardy 23 Sources 26 The Communities 31 2. The Lollards of Coventry 38 The Lollard Prosecutions in Coventry 39 The Coventry Conventicles 41 Coventry's Civic Oligarchy and the Lollard Community 53 The Coventry Lollard Community in Perspective 61 3. The Lollard Communities 63 Schools and Conventicles 65 Lollard Activities Outside the Conventicles 82 Lollards and Recruitment to the Sect 88 4. Lollards and the Family 96 Lollard Beliefs and the Family 98 Family Relationships in the Lollard Communities 103 5. Gender and Social Status 124 Prominent Women in Lollardy 125 Prominent Men and Elite Men in Lollardy 140 6. Conclusion: Lollardy, Gender, and Late Medieval Religious Culture 153 Women and Late Medieval Religion 154 Lollardy and Orthodoxy 158 Gender and Religion 164 Appendix. The Lollard Communities 167 Alnwick's Prosecutions in East Anglia, 1428–31 167 Chedworth's Prosecutions in the Chiltern Hills, 1462–64 168 Langton's Prosecutions in the Diocese of Salisbury, 1485–91 169 J. Blythe's Prosecutions in the Diocese of Salisbury, 1499 169 Audley's Prosecutions in the Diocese of Salisbury, 1502–21 170 Prosecutions and Detections in the Dioceses of Salisbury and Winchester Before Bishop Longland, c. 1521 171 Smith's and Longland's Prosecutions in the Diocese of Lincoln, 1500–1530 172 Prosecutions in London and Environs and Hertfordshire, 1500–1530 176 Prosecutions in Essex and Hertfordshire, 1500–1530 177 Warham's Prosecutions in the Diocese of Canterbury, 1511–12 179 Hales's and G. Blyth's Prosecutions in Coventry, 1485–1512 180 Totals 181 Notes 183 Works Cited 239 Index 257 A 257 B 257 C 259 D 260 E 260 F 260 G 261 H 261 I 262 J 262 K 262 L 262 M 265 N 265 O 265 P 266 Q 266 R 266 S 267 T 267 V 268 W 268 Y 269