From the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Latin Christendom was increasingly focussed, both institutionally and culturally, on Rome and the papacy. A key element of these changes was a growing concern with the provision of pastoral care and the standardisation of practices and beliefs. However, whilst parish churches have received considerable scholarly attention, chapels have been largely neglected, despite the fact that they were widespread in the landscape of medieval Britain and Norway, found in locations ranging from villages to castles, and central to the life of many.
This book, the first major comparative study of the subject, begins by examining what a chapel was, who used them, and their purpose. Using archaeological remains, the wider parish landscape - settlements, transport and geography - and historical records such as papal letters, it then categorises chapels according to function and their relationship with the parish church, showing that they served a far greater range of purposes than has previously been assumed. The author also considers whether the drive for uniformity had an impact on religious landscapes in Britain and Norway, arguing that there is little evidence of a Viking impact on chapel organisation in the British Isles, with the evidence pointing towards Scandinavian adoption of pre-existing organisation and local cults.
Author(s): Sarah E. Thomas
Series: St. Andrews Studies in Scottish History, 7
Publisher: The Boydell Press
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 234
City: Woodbridge
List of Illustrations page vii
Acknowledgements xi
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1. The Roles of Parishes and Parish Churches in the Community 12
Origins of the parish 12
Financial support of the parish church through tithes 17
Territorial parishes and boundaries 19
The functions of the parish church 39
Conclusion 49
2. Dependent Chapels 51
Legal definitions 51
Funding and financial obligations 55
Rights gained and lost 57
Reasons for granting dependent status 58
Who was responsible for funding the building of dependent chapels? 61
Characteristics of dependent chapels 62
Conclusion 85
3. Private Chapels 87
Licensing a private chapel 88
Users of a private chapel 89
Functions of the private chapel 92
Grange chapels 106
Conclusion 117
4. Locational Chapels: Distinctive Places and Commemorations 119
Who visited locational chapels? 120
Defining a locational chapel 120
Form and function 140
Conclusion 142
5. Cult Chapels: Pilgrimage, Local, National and International 144
Defining a cult chapel 145
Secluded chapels 146
Beyond-the-boundary chapels 153
Publicly accessible chapels 159
Sponsors of cult chapels 163
Conclusion 164
6. Chapels in the Ecclesiastical Landscape: Uniformity or Localism? 165
The Church and local devotional organisation 165
Scandinavian influences 173
Fourteenth-century population decline 178
Conclusion 183
Conclusion: Diverse and Varied Functions 185
Bibliography 190
Index 208
