The Medieval Stained Glass of Wells Cathedral
The Medieval Stained Glass of Wells Cathedral

Author: Tim Ayers

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 536

ISBN-13:

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This handsome two-part set is the first fully illustrated study of one of the most substantial collections of medieval stained glass in England. In particular, the glass from the east end of Wells Cathedral (rebuilt by a thriving clerical community in 1320-40) includes the five brilliantly colored windows of the choir clerestory, with its seven-light Jesse east window, and glass from the famous polygonal Lady Chapel. Besides describing and illustrating each panel, the volume has introductions to each part of the cathedral complex. What is known of the original glazing and its history is reconstructed, and many new discoveries are revealed. An introduction places the findings within the wider context of recent international stained glass studies and late medieval art history.

Bishops, Clerks, and Diocesan Governance in Thirteenth-Century England
Bishops, Clerks, and Diocesan Governance in Thirteenth-Century England

Author: Michael Burger

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-10-22

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 1139536745

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This book investigates how bishops deployed reward and punishment to control their administrative subordinates in thirteenth-century England. Bishops had few effective avenues available to them for disciplining their clerks and rarely pursued them, preferring to secure their service and loyalty through rewards. The chief reward was the benefice, often granted for life. Episcopal administrators' security of tenure in these benefices, however, made them free agents, allowing them to transfer from diocese to diocese or even leave administration altogether; they did not constitute a standing episcopal civil service. This tenuous bureaucratic relationship made the personal relationship between bishop and clerk more important. Ultimately, many bishops communicated in terms of friendship with their administrators, who responded with expressions of devotion. Michael Burger's study brings together ecclesiastical, social, legal and cultural history, producing the first synoptic study of thirteenth-century English diocesan administration in decades. His research provides an ecclesiastical counterpoint to numerous studies of bastard feudalism in secular contexts.