Description
Book SynopsisAn examination of changes in religious practice over the course of the long fourteenth century.Ripon Minster was St Wilfrid's church, and its vast parish at the edge of the Yorkshire dales was his domain, his memory living on among the people of his parish centuries after his death. Wilfrid was a saint for all seasons: histhree feast days punctuated the cycle of the agricultural year and an annual procession sought his blessings on the growing crops each May. This procession brought together many of the parish's earthly lords - the clergy and the gentry - as they carried the relics of their celestial patron. In death they hoped that they too would be remembered, and so remain a part of parish society for as long as their tombs survived or prayers were said for them in the church of Ripon. This book charts the developments in the practice of religion, and in particular the commemoration of the deceased, from the late fourteenth to the early sixteenth centuries in this important parish. In particular, it shows how the twin necessities of honouring the minster's patron saint and remembering the parish dead had a profound effect on the practice of religion in late medieval Ripon, shaping everything from the ritual calendarto weekly and daily religious routines. It provides, moreover, insights into the state of English religion on the eve of the Reformation. Stephen Werronen completed his PhD at the University of Leeds and is currently a visiting researcher at the Arnamagnæan Institute, University of Copenhagen.
Trade ReviewA pleasing study of the parish of Ripon and its illustrious shrine, depicting the contours of the liturgical year and its companion in the movement of the seasons. * HISTORY *
A welcome addition to the field. * NOTTINGHAM MEDIEVAL STUDIES *
[T]his book will be useful to local historians working on this corner of late medieval Yorkshire, especially those interested in religious life, and it provides a valuable insight into the workings of Ripon Minster and its environs, opening it up for further research. * SPECULUM *
Provides valuable light on the vitality of English religious life at the ground level at the same time as revealing the institutional shortcomings of the church on the eve of the Reformation. * THE RICARDIAN *
Table of ContentsIntroduction St Wilfrid, patron of the minster and parish The minster clergy The minster and its parishioners: the living The ritual year of the minster and parish The minster and its parishioners: the dead Conclusion Bibliography
