Chick, Joe (2020) Cloisters and clothiers: the social impact of Reading’s transition from monastic lordship to self-governance, 1350-1600. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

English monastic towns have traditionally been characterised in terms of robust lordship and violent town–abbey relations. While recent secondary literature has expressed some reservations, the premise is still widely accepted. Through a case study of Reading, with comparisons to other towns, this thesis re-evaluates the portrayal, arguing that violent clashes were the exception rather than the rule. Yet monasteries did practise a particularly robust form of lordship, with a multiplicity of factors reinforcing their power: vast wealth and estates, exceptional control of the judiciary, influence in both spiritual and temporal affairs, and a close relationship with the Crown. Among these, political connections were particularly crucial in reinforcing abbey privileges when they came under question. Monastic power was robust but not immune to change. Through developing their own links to the royal court in the later fifteenth century, the inhabitants of Reading were able to make some inroads into the abbey’s authority.

This thesis takes a comprehensive look at the political, economic, religious, and cultural life in a late medieval and Tudor community. It demonstrates the interconnectedness of all these facets of urban life, each with implications for the others. Methodologically, the study combines traditional historical approaches with social network analysis to study the sources from a new perspective. Originating in the social sciences and rarely applied to pre-modern societies, the latter is used to reassess claims of a rise in urban oligarchy. The analysis reveals a difference between the civic elite’s projected image and the realities of day-to-day life. After the Dissolution, the burgesses forged an image of elevated status to support their ambition for self-government. Yet in multiple aspects of everyday urban life, members of the elite continued to interact with lower-status members of society.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BX Christian Denominations D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Monasticism and religious orders -- Government, Monasteries and state -- England, Monasteries -- England -- History -- Middle Ages, 600-1500, England -- Church history -- 15th century, England -- Church history -- 16th century, Reading -- England -- History -- 16th century, Reading (England) -- Politics and government, Democracy -- England
Official Date:	September 2020
Dates:	Date Event September 2020 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Kümin, Beat A.
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	xii, 325 leaves : illustrations, map
Language:	eng

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