This thesis aims to explore the forms and characteristics of religious expression in Surrey during the later middle ages. The county has lacked detailed research, and one purpose of this study is, therefore, to discuss materials and evidence which have not yet been brought into the arena of scholarly debate. The thesis contains six chapters: a survey of the background history of the county and the sources: a discussion of support for the religious orders: an examination of the forms and types of charitable institutions: an analysis of gild activity: a survey of patterns of church-building and church-furnishing, while the final chapter seeks to ascertain the extent of the threat posed by heresy to the traditional order, and also charts the progress of the Reformation in Surrey down to the death of Edward VI. Much of the evidence for this study is derived from wills, bishops' registers, and churchwardens' and gildwardens' accounts. Wills exist in substantial numbers from c. 1480 onwards, while parish and gild records survive from Shere, Horley, Lambeth, Kingston upon Thames, St Margaret's and St Olave's Southwark and Wandsworth. The records generated during the Reformation, such as chantry certificates, and inventories of church goods have also been consulted. Some personal observation of surviving church buildings and church memorials has also been undertaken. Particular attention is given to the ways in which the evidence from Surrey fits into the broader picture, and where it contrasts, or conflicts, with the findings of similar studies for other parts of England. Local contrasts have been drawn between rural and urban parishes, and the thesis challenges the view that urban and rural distinctions are irrelevant as a tool for analysing patterns of piety during this period. Here, it is argued that the perceived differences between urban and rural religious practices help to delineate and define forms of piety in the later middle ages.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:249691 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Groom, Matthew |
| Publisher | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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