Not only scholars but all who are keen to learn more about the changes and developments in the thirteenth-century English Church will be grateful for the appearance of this volume. It contains the collected papers of Hugh Lawrence, professor of medieval history at Bedford College, University of London, from 1972 until his retirement in 1987. Caroline Barron and Claire Daunton, who have together edited this collection, are two of Lawrence's former students. In addition to an opportune introductory essay by Michael Robson, a friend and collaborator of Lawrence, the editors have included a short contribution from Lawrence's daughter, Clare Hatcher. Entitled ‘Hugh's war’, it consists of an account of his wartime service on three continents together with copies of personal notes from her father's wartime diary accompanied by several photographs and a map.

The contents of this volume have been conveniently divided into four sections each containing three or four of Lawrence's published articles: ‘The Church and its Clergy’; ‘Oxford University’; ‘St Edmund of Abingdon’; and ‘Religious Orders’. In each case details of the original date and place of publication have been provided. ‘The Church and its Clergy’ informs the reader of significant details concerning the often tense and fluctuating relations between the English Church and the papacy; it also includes a summary of the key elements that formed the background to the complexities of parish organisation and individual congregations. And in a lengthy article on St Richard of Chichester Lawrence has uncovered the unusual details that lay behind his canonisation in 1262.The four essays on the University of Oxford bring to light thought-provoking new insights with regard to the origins and early development of the university and of its chancellorship, and also of its relations with both State and Church. There is in addition an enlightening analysis of the ‘medieval idea’ of a university. The third section focuses on Edmund of Abingdon, archbishop of Canterbury (1233–40), and offers a new insight into his periods of ‘so-called exile’. Included here also is the homily given by Lawrence on the feast of St Edmund, 15 November 1996, in St Edmund's College, Cambridge. There are two articles on the Cistercians in the final section, which is concerned with religious orders, and another two which are centred on Adam Marsh and the Franciscan School at Oxford. Included in this volume is a useful bibliography of all the published writings of Lawrence with accompanying details and, in addition, an index of names and places and a tabula in memoriam. Unfortunately, there is one troublesome problem with regard to some of the footnote references. It arises from the fact that many of these lectures and articles were originally published in books or journals, some of which would have provided a list of abbreviations in use in the particular volume or journal concerned. A similar list should have been included in this book. Otherwise, what are we to make of, for example, AA.SS on p. 95 or AHDLMA on p. 143? Again, the statement on p. 215 that the article on Edmund of Abingdon first appeared in 1963 seemingly contradicts a statement on p. 317 where the date is recorded as 1960. Notwithstanding these minor issues the editors have succeeded in bringing together all of Lawrence's published articles into a single memorable volume.