This series [pushes] the boundaries of knowledge and [develops] new trends in approach and understanding. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW The focus of this volume may be summed up as "The Word". Its essays examine the contents and provenance of manuscripts which were written for polemical purposes, treasured by the duchess of York, and through the new medium of print introduced to a wider public topics of historical interest and illustrations of the geography of the known world. The essays here also consider official records of forest administration, expressed in arcane language; documents preserved in the papal curia which reveal significant facts about the lives of Scottish bishops; archives produced by the English chancery noting the movements of a royal councillor; and letters, poems and songs exposing the political strategy of a German prince. Nor is the spoken word neglected, whether employed in speeches delivered at the start of parliaments, using as their themes scriptures and classical texts to set a political agenda; or as sermons to open-air congregations gathered at St. Paul's Cross, where the oratory of Bishop Alcock stirred his listeners in different ways. Contributors: Michael Bennett, Julia Boffey, Paul Cavill, J.M. Grussenmeyer, TomJohnson, J.L. Laynesmith, John Milner, Ben Pope, Dan E. Seward, Sarah Thomas

Interdisciplinary study of chapels provides a more complex and fuller picture of engagement with the Church and Christianity in the Middle Ages. 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 pastoralcare 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, whoused 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 landscapesin 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. Sarah Thomas gained her PhD from the University of Glasgow; she is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Stirling.