New essays on the monastic life in the later middle ages show that far from being in decline, it remained rich and vibrant. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the history of the numerous houses of monks, canons and nuns which existed in the medieval British Isles, considering them in their wider socio-cultural-economic context; historians are now questioning some of the older assumptions about monastic life in the later Middle Ages, and setting new approaches and new agenda. The present volume reflects these new trends. Its fifteen chapters assess diverseaspects of monastic history, focusing on the wide range of contacts which existed between religious communities and the laity in the later medieval British Isles, covering a range of different religious orders and houses. This period has often been considered to represent a general decline of the regular life; but on the contrary, the essays here demonstrate that there remained a rich monastic culture which, although different from that of earlier centuries, remained vibrant. CONTRIBUTORS: KAREN STOBER, JULIE KERR, EMILIA JAMROZIAK, MARTIN HEALE, COLMAN O CLABAIGH, ANDREW ABRAM, MICHAEL HICKS, JANET BURTON, KIMM PERKINS-CURRAN, JAMES CLARK, GLYN COPPACK, JENS ROHRKASTEN, SHEILA SWEETINBURGH, NICHOLAS ORME, CLAIRE CROSS

An examination into two of the most important activities undertaken by the Normans. The reputation of the Normans is rooted in warfare, faith and mobility. They were simultaneously famed as warriors, noted for their religious devotion, and celebrated as fearless travellers. In the Middle Ages few activities offered a better conduit to combine warfare, religiosity, and movement than crusading and pilgrimage. However, while scholarship is abundant on many facets of the Norman world, it is a surprise that the Norman relationship with crusading and pilgrimage, so central in many ways to Norman identity, has hitherto not received extensive treatment. The collection here seeks to fill this gap. It aims to identify what was unique or different about the Normans andtheir relationship with crusading and pilgrimage, as well as how and why crusade and pilgrimage were important to the Normans. Particular focus is given to Norman participation in the First Crusade, to Norman interaction in latercrusading initiatives, to the significance of pilgrimage in diverse parts of the Norman world, and finally to the ways in which crusading and pilgrimage were recorded in Norman narrative. Ultimately, this volume aims to assess, insome cases to confirm, and in others to revise the established paradigm of the Normans as crusaders par excellence and as opportunists who used religion to serve other agendas. Dr KATHRYN HURLOCK is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr PAUL OLDFIELD is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Manchester. Contributors: Andrew Abram, William M. Aird, Emily Albu, Joanna Drell, Leonie Hicks, Natasha Hodgson, Kathryn Hurlock, Alan V. Murray, Paul Oldfield, David S. Spear, Lucas Villegas-Aristizabal.

An examination into two of the most important activities undertaken by the Normans. The reputation of the Normans is rooted in warfare, faith and mobility. They were simultaneously famed as warriors, noted for their religious devotion, and celebrated as fearless travellers. In the Middle Ages few activities offered a better conduit to combine warfare, religiosity, and movement than crusading and pilgrimage. However, while scholarship is abundant on many facets of the Norman world, it is a surprise that the Norman relationship with crusading and pilgrimage, so central in many ways to Norman identity, has hitherto not received extensive treatment. The collection here seeks to fill this gap. It aims to identify what was unique or different about the Normans andtheir relationship with crusading and pilgrimage, as well as how and why crusade and pilgrimage were important to the Normans. Particular focus is given to Norman participation in the First Crusade, to Norman interaction in latercrusading initiatives, to the significance of pilgrimage in diverse parts of the Norman world, and finally to the ways in which crusading and pilgrimage were recorded in Norman narrative. Ultimately, this volume aims to assess, insome cases to confirm, and in others to revise the established paradigm of the Normans as crusaders par excellence and as opportunists who used religion to serve other agendas. Dr Kathryn Hurlock is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr Paul Oldfield is Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Manchester. Contributors: Andrew Abram, William M. Aird, Emily Albu, Joanna Drell, Leonie Hicks, Natasha Hodgson, Kathryn Hurlock, Alan V. Murray, Paul Oldfield, David S. Spear, Lucas Villegas-Aristizabal.

Based on primary archival research (much of which remains unpublished), supported by fieldtrips to battlefields and castles, More Like Lions than Men represents the first focused and sustained study of the recruitment, organisation, payment, equipping, leadership and war service of the forces raised and maintained in the service of parliament in Cheshire between 1642 and 1646. The Cheshire army of parliament was commanded by the devout, energetic and strategically astute Sir William Brereton, MP for the county. As a important 'regional' force it undertook the extended war aims and strategy of the parliament in Cheshire (and in particular, its primary objective, the reduction and capture of the royalist stronghold of Chester). Led and trained by a number of officers of experience and ability (including Michael Jones, Robert Venables, and some professional soldiers, such as James Lothian), it often operated in conjunction with other forces and under various regional commands throughout the northwest, as well as the Midland counties, North Wales, Lancashire and Yorkshire, wherein its troops and companies served together or were 'brigaded' with others. These were bolstered in 1644 by the absorption of high quality, veteran troops of Charles I's army in Ireland, who had been captured at Nantwich and Liverpool. Cheshire and the northwest were no backwaters during the first civil war, and on occasion Brereton's forces became embroiled in events of a more national complexion, such as the landing of the royalist army from Ireland in late 1643, the advance of Prince Rupert through the Welsh Marches, Cheshire and Lancashire during the summer of 1644, and the arrival of Charles I in a temporary relief of Chester 1645.Like other parliamentarian forces, the Cheshire troops were noted for their religious fervour, partly in that they were raised, shaped, motivated and led by radical independent and Presbyterian officers, as well as godly ministers. Yet despite its effectiveness and military experience, parts of the army suffered from pay arrears and subsequent mutinies, as well as organisational problems that stretched resources, and at points created breakdowns in discipline and moral. Moreover, Sir William Brereton's authority as commander-in-chief in Cheshire came under threat in 1645 in the form of divergent war aims and rivalries among subordinates. The Cheshire army of parliament is well served by archival sources. This includes contemporary news-books, correspondence, warrants, petitions, accounts of sequestration committees and army officers, certificates of service and illustrations of cavalry standards, contained in various repositories and private collections, but especially The National Archives and the British Library. The five surviving volumes of letter books of Sir William Brereton remain invaluable to our understanding of the scope and day-to-day operations of Sir William and his army. Such sources present an invaluable, if largely untapped source for the centralised pay, equipping and composition of the Cheshire parliamentarian forces. Split into three broad sections, this book provides three chapters outlining up-to-date research on the military role of the army in Cheshire and beyond between autumn 1642 and spring 1646; the central part offers four chapters on the composition of the Cheshire forces, including recruitment, training and leadership, as well as the 'sinews of war' (money, ammunition and provisions), standards, clothing and equipment. The remaining section provides in-depth information on the combat units of Brereton's army, in addition to its 'support arms' of gunners, engineers, pioneers, intelligence services and chaplains. More Like Lions than Men explores the context, nature and composition of the Cheshire forces indetail, in order to give credence to the notion that this was an effective, seasoned and important fighting force, albeit mainly on a regional stage. As such it adds significantly to our knowledge of the parliamentary war effort and civil war forces in the northwest of England and beyond, whilst appealing to anyone with an interest in military history, including academics, local historians, re-enactors and wargamers.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Flexural Strength Of Plain Concrete, Issue 11; Flexural Strength Of Plain Concrete; Duff Andrew Abrams Duff Andrew Abrams The Structural materials research laboratory, 1922 Technology & Engineering; Construction; General; Concrete; Technology & Engineering / Construction / General; Technology & Engineering / Material Science

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Wear Tests Of Concrete Duff Andrew Abrams Technology & Engineering; Construction; General; Concrete; Technology & Engineering / Construction / General; Technology & Engineering / Material Science

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Effect Of Taunic Acid On The Strength Of Concrete Duff Andrew Abrams The Structural materials research laboratory, 1922 Concrete; Tannins