Early medieval Kent, 800-1220 / edited by Shiela Sweetinburgh.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Sweetinburgh, Sheila, editor.

Kent (England). County Council.

Series:

Kent history project ; 10.

Kent history project, 1352-805x ; 10

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kent (England)--History.

Kent (England).

Middle Ages.

Physical Description:

xii, 333 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK : The Boydell Press, 2016.

Summary:

Duke William's march through Kent on his way to London after Hastings in 1066 is testimony to the importance of the county. So too are the royal fortifications at Canterbury, Dover and Rochester, and the mostly successful strategy of ruling Kent through a partnership of Crown and Church. The religious communities at Canterbury Cathedral and St Augustine's became two of the premier monasteries in England, and (following the death of Thomas Becket) international centres of pilgrimage. Yet, as well as times of triumph, these four hundred years witnessed massive difficulties for the people of Kent, and England. Viking incursions in two major phases covering two centuries were instrumental, for example, in the loss of most royal nunneries in Kent and the sacking of Canterbury in 1011. Socially, too, this was a formative period in the county's history. Colonization and rural settlement were shaped by the varied physical landscape, but also by matters of lordship and landholding that together marked Kent as distinctive, which would later become enshrined in the Customs of Kent (1293). Similarly the growth of numerous small towns, especially coastal and inland ports, highlight the vitality of the county's commercial development; the provision of ship service to the king by the confederation of the Cinque Ports denotes a special relationship that still exists today. The essays collected here provide insights into a range of topics of importance in the history of Kent during this seminal period. To provide a context for these, the opening essay presents .an assessment of the kingdom of Kent. Subsequent chapters consider the development of first rural and then urban society, the impact of the Vikings, pilgrimage and the landscape, literacy and learning, the developing monastic way of life, and parish church architecture. Three multidisciplinary chapters discuss Canterbury as a case study, while a gazetteer of place-name elements closes the book. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 'What Came Before': The Kingdom of Kent to 800 / Andrew Richardson Richardson, Andrew 21

2 'Land and Marsh': Settlement, Colonisation and Consolidation, c.800-1220 / Gillian Draper Draper, Gillian 67

3 New Life in Towns, c.800-c.1220 / Gillian Draper Draper, Gillian 67

4 Viking Age Kent, c.800-1042 / Stuart Brookes Brookes, Stuart 103

5 Saints, Pilgrimage and Landscape in Early Medieval Kent, c.800-1220 / Hilary Powell Powell, Hilary 133

6 The Early Charters of Canterbury Cathedral / Nicholas Brooks Brooks, Nicholas 155

7 Monastic Culture in Early Medieval Canterbury 507-1220 / Diane Heath Heath, Diane 165

8 The Impact of Anglo-Norman Patronage on the Architecture of Kent Churches / Mary Berg Berg, Mary 189

9 Canterbury in the Eleventh Century, a Tale of Two Viking Incursions / Paul Bennett Bennett, Paul, Mary Berg Berg, Mary 203

10 Residues, Rentals and Social Topography in Angevin Canterbury / Jake Weekes Weekes, Jake 227

11 Pottery In Kent, c.800-1220: Production, Use and Significance / John Cotter Cotter, John 245

12 Place-Name Elements / Paul Cullen Cullen, Paul, Sheila Sweetinburgh Sweetinburgh, Sheila 255.

Notes:

Co-published by Kent County Council.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-310) and index.

ISBN:

0851155839

9780851155838

OCLC:

923851462