Despite increased commercialization and an efficient network of local markets in 1300s Europeas well as significant costs and risks associated with the production, transportation, and storage of foodsome landed lords, monasteries, and convents continued to rely on the produce of their own estates. This detailed study sets out to account for the puzzling situation, covering the period between 1260 and 1536, with an in-depth analysis of the changing patterns and fortunes of the provisioning of Norwich Cathedral Priory. As it examines the entire process of food delivery from field to table, the record explores the question of food security within the context of the various crises in the 14th century, and also illustrates the aftereffects of the Black Death. Although providing unparalleled insight into the Priory, the book also serves as an important resource on understanding the Late Middle Ages economy of England and society during a time of upheaval."

An engaging, richly illustrated account of parish churches and churchgoers in England, from the Anglo-Saxons to the mid-sixteenth century Parish churches were at the heart of English religious and social life in the Middle Ages and the sixteenth century. In this comprehensive study, Nicholas Orme shows how they came into existence, who staffed them, and how their buildings were used. He explains who went to church, who did not attend, how people behaved there, and how they—not merely the clergy—affected how worship was staged. The book provides an accessible account of what happened in the daily and weekly services, and how churches marked the seasons of Christmas, Lent, Easter, and summer. It describes how they celebrated the great events of life: birth, coming of age, and marriage, and gave comfort in sickness and death. A final chapter covers the English Reformation in the sixteenth century and shows how, alongside its changes, much that went on in parish churches remained as before.