Runaway Religious in Medieval England, C.1240-1540Runaway religious were monks, canons and friars who had taken vows of religion and who, with benefit of neither permission nor dispensation and for a myriad of reasons, fled their monasteries and returned to a life in the world, usually replacing the religious habit with lay clothes. Not only the normal tugs of the world drew them away: other less obvious yet equally human motives, such as boredom, led to a return to the world. The church pursued them with her severest penalty, excommunication, in the express hope that penalties would lead to the return of the straying sheep. This book is the first to tell their story. |
Contents
Introduction I | 1 |
A question of terms | 9 |
Legal alternatives | 42 |
how many? and why? | 66 |
The secular arm | 97 |
The 1530S | 156 |
Appendices | 178 |
Register of apostates 12401530 | 184 |
Bibliography | 268 |
| 277 | |
| 284 | |
| 299 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Abbey Lincs Abbey Yorks abbot abduction absolved alias apostasy apostata capiendo apostate April archbishop Archbishop's mandate Augustinian canon Austin friars Benedictine benefice bishop of Lincoln Canterbury Carmelites chapter Christ Church Cistercian Cluniac Dene dispensation Dominican Elizabeth Lutton England English entry Essex excommunication fled Franciscans Giffard Gilbertines Greenfield Henry Ibid John July June Kent London mandate to reconcile March Medieval monastery monastic monks Nicholas Norf Northants nunnery nuns Oxford papal chaplains papal letters Papal mandate penance permission petition pope Premonstratensian prioress Priory Yorks professed religious readmit religious habit religious houses religious orders religious superiors Richard Robert Rome royal secular arm secular priest Selby Abbey Sept sheriff Signified for arrest Somerset St Albans St Augustine's St Augustine's Abbey statute Sussex Thomas unnamed visitor vols vows William Winchester Worcester writ de apostata Writ for arrest writ issued Yedingham Yorkshire
Popular passages
Page 272 - Proposicio" (1350) and the Politics of the Papal Court at Avignon: JEcclH 35, 1984, 376-390.