Minster hypothesis

Minster hypothesis

The minster hypothesis is a debated view that the organisation of the early Anglo-Saxon Christian church was based around minsters staffed by communities of clerics and providing spiritual services within a defined area (known as a parochia).[1]

Contents

The underlying ideas

John Blair put forward a description of the early Anglo-Saxon Christian church in England in a number of publications[2]. He believed that the organisation of the early church was based around minsters staffed by a community of clerics and providing spiritual services within a defined area (known as a parochia). Minsters were established close to royal vills, as part of the process by which pagan communities were converted to Christianity.[3] During 10th and 11th centuries, parochial duties were increasingly taken over by estate churches which were the property of local land owners. The diminishing role for minsters and the emergence of estate churches accompanied the fragmentation of the Anglo-Saxon multiple estates that had been common in the earlier landscape.[4] The new estate churches were frequently dependent to some extent on the original minster church within whose boundary they were located.[5] Sonning (Berkshire) is an example of an original minster which by the 12th century had eight dependent churches, four of which had become independent parishes by the 15th century.[6] Although minsters were in decline by 1086, it is still possible to identify them in Domesday wherever the description goes beyond the purely formulaic. Clues to identification of minsters include references to groups of priests; a church endowment exceeding one hide; tenure by a royal or named clerk; a separate valuation or survey or some additional sign of status.[7]

Origin of the term

Blair did not himself coin the phrase "minster hypothesis", instead using (but not coining) the phrase "minster model"[8]. The term "minster hypothesis" was first used in a critical review by Cambridge and Rollason[9] The term has subsequently been widely adopted by both proponents and opponents of the underlying ideas. The term "minster system" has sometimes been used as an alternative.

Areas of dispute

Disputed points include

  • the extent to which there was a deliberate and planned programme of establishing minsters to provide parochial services
  • the extent to which private churches were numerous in the early Christian period
  • whether or not all minsters had parochial duties
  • the applicability of evidence from a later date to infer an earlier practice.

Notes

  1. ^ Foot, Sarah (2006). Monastic life in Anglo-Saxon England, c. 600-900. Cambridge University Press. pp. 287–288. ISBN 0521859468. 
  2. ^ Tinti, Francesca (2005). Pastoral care in late Anglo-Saxon England. Boydell Press. p. 1-2. ISBN 1843831562. 
  3. ^ Morris, Richard (1989). Churches in the Landscape. Phoenix. p. 130. ISBN 0460045091. 
  4. ^ Blair, John (2003). "Parish Churches in the Eleventh Century". In Erskine, RWH; Williams, Ann. The Story of Domesday Book. Phillimore. p. 98. 
  5. ^ Aston, Mick (1985). Interpreting the Landscape. Routledge. p. 48-49. ISBN 0713436492. 
  6. ^ Pounds, Norman (2000). A history of the English parish. Cambridge University Press. p. 22. ISBN 0521633516. 
  7. ^ Blair, John (2003). "Parish Churches in the Eleventh Century". In Erskine, RWH; Williams, Ann. The Story of Domesday Book. Phillimore. p. 97. 
  8. ^ Blair, John (2005). The church in Anglo-Saxon society. Oxford University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0198226950. 
  9. ^ The "minster hypothesis" - a case study

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Minster (church) — Southwell Minster Minster is an honorific title given to particular churches in England, most famously York Minster. The term minster is first found in royal foundation charters of the 7th century; and, although it corresponds to the Latin… …   Wikipedia

  • Chad of Mercia — For the 8th century bishop of Hereford, see Ceadda of Hereford. Chad Bishop of York Image of Chad in a stained glass window from Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, New York Diocese …   Wikipedia

  • Mozart and scatology — Reproduction of the original manuscript of Mozart s canon Difficile Lectu . The words lectu mihi mars were intended to be heard as Leck du mich im Arsch , for which a relatively polite English rendering is kiss my arse . Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart… …   Wikipedia

  • Sigrid the Haughty — Sigrid the Haughty, also known as Sigrid Storråda, was a Nordic queen of contested historicity. She is generally held to be apocryphal in modern scholarship, see e.g. Birgitta Fritz.citation |author=Birgitta Fritz |contribution=Sigrid… …   Wikipedia

  • Western architecture — Introduction       history of Western architecture from prehistoric Mediterranean cultures to the present.       The history of Western architecture is marked by a series of new solutions to structural problems. During the period from the… …   Universalium

  • St Peter's Church, Barton-upon-Humber — St Peter s Church Tower and baptistery, from the south Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Marcello Ferrada-Noli — Marcello Vittorio Ferrada Noli Born 25 July 1943 Residence  …   Wikipedia

  • Marcello Ferrada-Noli — Nacimiento 25 de julio de 1943 (68 años) Copiapó  Chile Residencia …   Wikipedia Español

  • Choir — For other uses, see Choir (disambiguation). A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. A body of singers who perform together as a group… …   Wikipedia

  • Francis Younghusband — Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, KCSI, KCIE (31 May 1863 – 31 July 1942, Dorset[1]) was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer. He is remembered chiefly for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia;… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”