Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535

Name: Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535
Author: Eileen Power

By Eileen Power

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History - British History - Medieval/Middle Ages History - Religious

About This Book

The work reconstructs daily life and institutions of English convents in the centuries before the Dissolution, using pre-Reformation records to trace who entered convents (nobility, gentry, urban families), the dowry system and motives for profession, governance by prioresses and abbesses including elections, resignations, and abuses, and the convents' economic foundations — rents, manors, spiritual revenues — and household organization of obedientiaries, servants, and farms. It examines recurring poverty, debt, building repairs, and causes such as disasters, ecclesiastical and royal exactions, and feudal obligations, while balancing factual evidence with cautious inference from surviving accounts and visitations.

About the Author

Eileen Power

Eileen Power was a prominent British historian and scholar, known for her significant contributions to the study of medieval history. She specialized in the social and economic aspects of medieval life, particularly focusing on the roles of women and religious institutions. Her notable works include "Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535," which explores the history and function of nunneries during the medieval period, and "Medieval People," a collection that examines the lives of various individuals in medieval society. Power's research has had a lasting impact on the understanding of medieval culture and the complexities of its social structures.