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

A comprehensive account of the abbey of Evesham and its surroundings, demonstrating its full significance in the wider history of the time. "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 "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."--Back cover Frontcover 1 Contents 8 List of illustrations 10 Preface 11 Timeline 13 List of abbreviations 14 Part I. From minster to abbey (701–1078) 18 1 Æthelred and Ecgwine 20 2 A land of promise 31 3 A waiting people 41 4 Ecgwine and the first abbots 50 5 Decay and revival 59 6 On the defensive 67 7 Abbot Ælfweard and King Cnut 75 8 Abbot Manni, the town, and the Vale 85 9 Abbot Æthelwig under English and Norman rule 95 Part II. Abbot Walter (1078–1104) 104 10 A new regime 106 11 God’s work 116 12 The estates under threat 126 13 Protecting the future 135 Part III. Twelfth-century themes (1104–1215) 144 14 Interested parties 146 15 Order and governance 157 16 Economic realities 166 17 Investment 175 18 Worship 184 19 Learning and writing 193 20 Religious buildings 201 21 Collapse and renewal 210 Afterword 222 Appendix: The abbots of Evesham to 1215 226 Select bibliography 227 Index 232