Imagining the Parish in Late Medieval England

209 Pages·2015·20.706 MB·English

by  Ellen K. Rentz

IMAGINING THE PARISH
in Late Medieval England
ELLEN K. RENTZ
INTERVENTIONS: NEW STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL CULTURE
ETHAN KNAPP, SERIES EDITOR

Imagining the Parish in
Late Medieval England
Ellen K. Rentz
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS (cid:115) COLUMBUS
Copyright © 2015 by The Ohio State University.
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rentz, Ellen K., 1978–
Imagining the parish in late medieval England / Ellen K. Rentz. — 1 [edition].
pages cm. — (Interventions: new studies in medieval culture)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8142-1275-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8142-9380-5 (cd-rom)
1. England—Church history—1066-1485. I. Title.
BR750.R46 2015
282'.420902—dc23
2014041735
Cover design by Laurence J. Nozik
Text design by Juliet Williams
Type set in Adobe Minion
Printed by Thomson-Shore, Inc.
Cover Image: Priest addressing a congregation. Omne Bonum, entry for Excommunicacio [Ex-
communication]. © The British Library Board, Royal 6 E VII (c. 1350–75), fol. 75v. The image is
not the original version.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American Na-
tional Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials.
ANSI Z39.48–1992.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In honor of Ellen Brown Rice
In memory of Betsey Rice Ketels

C O N T E N T S
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 At the Font and in the Grave: The Fabric of
Parochial Identity 8
Chapter 2 Parochial Penance and the Making of the Parish 33
Chapter 3 The Parish on Its Feet: Lay Devotion and the
Metaphor of Walking 64
Chapter 4 Working the Land, Working the Spirit:
Agrarian Metaphor and Spiritual Community 91
Chapter 5 Reading the Prick of Conscience in the Parish 122
Epilogue How Do I Save My Soul? 149
Bibliography 155
Index 177

I L L U S T R AT I O N S
FIGURES
1 Mass helps souls in Purgatory (c. 1460–70) 20
2 Churchyard burial scene (c. 1420–30) 27
3 Priest addressing a congregation (c. 1350–75) 44
4 The Trotton Doom (c. 1380–90) 89
5 The Luttrell household at dinner (c. 1330–45) 96
6 The Prick of Conscience Window (c. 1410–20) 123
7 “Of þe relefyng of saules in purgatory” (c. 1460–70) 129
8 The Prick of Conscience Window, buildings fall (c. 1410–20) 135
9 The Prick of Conscience Window, terrified penitents
(c. 1410–20) 136
10 The Corporal Works of Mercy Window (c. 1410–35) 140
11 The Blackburn Window (c. 1412–35) 142
PLATES
1 Plowing (c. 1330–45)
2 Sowing; Psalm 94 (c. 1330–45)
ix