Overview

From the impact of the first monasteries in the seventh century, to the emergence of the local parochial system five hundred years later, the Church was a force for change in Anglo-Saxon society. It shaped culture and ideas, social and economic behaviour, and the organization of landscape and settlement. This book traces how the widespread foundation of monastic sites ('minsters') during c.670-730 gave the recently pagan English new ways of living, of exploiting their resources, and of absorbing European culture, as well as opening new spiritual and intellectual horizons. Through the era of Viking wars, and the tenth-century reconstruction of political and economic life, the minsters gradually lost their wealth, their independence, and their role as sites of high culture, but grew in stature as foci of local society and eventually towns. After 950, with the increasing prominence of manors, manor-houses, and village communities, a new and much larger category of small churches were founded, endowed, and rebuilt: the parish churches of the emergent eleventh- and twelfth-century local parochial system. In this innovative study, John Blair brings together written, topographical, and archaeological evidence to build a multi-dimensional picture of what local churches and local communities meant to each other in early England.

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9780198226956

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Reviews

...a classic, frequently used and cited by students and scholars alike. Early Medieval Europe This major book is likely to be the standard work on this subject for years to come...Encyclopaedic, fluently written and well illustrated, this book is a must. Jeremy Knight Archaeology in Wales ...an impressive study of the English church before the Norman Conquest which sheds much new light on its structures and place in society Contemporary Review a powerful and compelling synthesis...Blair's skilful integration of archaeological and historical evidence is second to none. His synthesis and assessment of the most recent archaeological research conveys all the excitement of this fast unfolding field John Nightingale, Magdalen College, Oxford This book is a major breakthrough in our understanding of English religious history. Contemporary Review A comprehensive study...John Blair's eloquent presentation of the evidence will doubtless hold the field for a generation, and is likely to define debate for even longer. Richard Gameson, TLS ...it is a testament to Blair's skills as a writer and researcher that this book will be the first port of call for many years to come. Martin Ryan, Landscape History, Vol. 28

This major book is likely to be the standard work on this subject for years to come...Encyclopaedic, fluently written and well illustrated, this book is a must. Jeremy Knight Archaeology in Wales ...an impressive study of the English church before the Norman Conquest which sheds much new light on its structures and place in society Contemporary Review a powerful and compelling synthesis...Blair's skilful integration of archaeological and historical evidence is second to none. His synthesis and assessment of the most recent archaeological research conveys all the excitement of this fast unfolding field John Nightingale, Magdalen College, Oxford This book is a major breakthrough in our understanding of English religious history. Contemporary Review A comprehensive study...John Blair's eloquent presentation of the evidence will doubtless hold the field for a generation, and is likely to define debate for even longer. Richard Gameson, TLS ...it is a testament to Blair's skills as a writer and researcher that this book will be the first port of call for many years to come. Martin Ryan, Landscape History, Vol. 28

Author Information

John Blair has been a Fellow and Praelector in History at The Queen's College, Oxford, since 1981. His academic interests center on the history, archaeology, and landscape of medieval England, notably churches, settlements, and material culture. He is active in numerous organizations concerned with conservation, archaeology, and research.

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