The fifteen essays in this volume are a sample of the issues that are of concern to historians of monasticism in the post-Knowles period. Of course, the Dissolution of the monasteries cannot be entirely left out of a volume that deals with the later Middle Ages and the conditions leading up to it, but it does not occupy center stage. These essays are tied together by a common interest in relations between the monasteries and the laity. They are organized into six topics, beginning with the “Meeting of the Worlds” and continuing with “Religious Houses and their Patrons and Benefactors,” “Female Communities: Nuns, Abbesses and Prioresses,” “Monasteries and Education,” “Monasteries and Urban Space,” and “Religious Houses in the Regions.” Of these, the first and last contain papers that differ from one another, but that is not to say that they do not make interesting contributions to the collection.

Following a brief introduction, Karen Stöber discusses the social networks of late medieval Welsh monasteries. The subject is challenging since the majority of houses were of Anglo-Norman foundation. Her essay has a very interesting section on the patronage of the Welsh bards by monasteries. Implied but not developed is the question of the role of monasticism in the integration of eastern and northern Wales into the Anglo-Norman political sphere. Julie Kerr provides a picture of the importance of Cistercian hospitality in putting up travelers, which played an important social role and commanded favorable comment even after the suppression. Emilia Jamroziak discusses the delicate position of Cistercian houses in the border region between England and Scotland, comparing it with the situation in Pomerania. Her theme is the impact of the fragmentation of power on the Cistercians in these situations. In the final paper in the first section, Martin Heale deals with the selection of monastic superiors in late medieval and early Tudor England. This essay raises the question of whether the involvement of laity in monastic affairs created a condition that made the suppression easier. Neale seems to think not, but he concludes that “the growing dependence of the heads of religious houses on the Tudor government in the generation leading up to the Dissolution should be seen as an important factor” (65).

The most obvious connections between monasticism and the laity were patronage and the continuing gifts made to the monasteries. One feature of the essays in this volume is brought out in a special way in Colman Ó Clabaigh's essay on the Franciscan House in Adair. It was founded and supported by the Fitzgerald family, the earls of Kildare, and by various branches of the family. As we have noted in the case of Wales, given the tenuous situation of the native rural populations, monasticism depended on the support of foreigners. The example of Wombridge shows that it was not merely the great families, but also members of the middling ranks, who founded religious houses. But Michael Hicks emphasizes the increased cost of supporting religious houses in the later Middle Ages. As a result, they became more dependent on smaller donors. This is reflected in the increase in chantries and the trend toward the bundling of donations. The following section on female communities shows that to an even greater extent they were dependent on support from the lower nobility and from women. The question of gifts at entry looms much larger in these communities than in those of men, as Janet Burton makes clear. The need for astute leadership, able to play in the world of politics, is the theme of Kimm Perkins-Curran's essay, which sheds additional light on Chaucer's, and others', representations of prioresses.

Traditionally, there has been considerable emphasis on the role of monasteries in education, but the emphasis has almost always been on the preservation of knowledge through the copying of manuscripts. James Clark, following the work of scholars like Nicholas Orme (English Schools in the Middle Ages [London: Methuen, 1973]), focuses our attention on their role in secular education in the later Middle Ages. He sees a fundamental change in the attitude of the monks toward education beginning in the thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century, there is more evidence of their desire to be teachers. He singles out St. Albans as an example. This development continued right up to the Dissolution. In his essay, Glyn Coppack illustrates the role of the Carthusians in the book industry, including early printing, which went far beyond the production of individual works.

The final sections are less cohesive. Jens Röhrkasten chronicles the efforts of the Franciscans to steer a course through a lay society that was increasingly more influential. Sheila Sweetinburgh discusses the problem confronted by the late arrival of the Austin Friars in Canterbury and their need to negotiate for space. Nicholas Orme takes us into a truly marginal society in Cornwall and the problems confronted by monasticism. This essay raises an interesting point regarding relations between English monasticism and the continent just prior to the Dissolution. In the final essay, Claire Cross discusses the last years of the Cistercian Abbey of Roche in Yorkshire. She makes it clear that, with the accession of Mary to the throne, there was a resurgence of traditional religious services. While Roche offered no resistance to the Dissolution, the evidence suggests that there was little enthusiasm for it locally. The overall picture that we gain from this collection of essays is of a continuing traditional religiosity that was quite content to ride the waves when needed but showed no significant desire for change. This does not mean that the picture is one of stagnation, intellectual or otherwise. Rather, the result is much as we might expect. Reformation from the top and from a limited body of supporters produced a much weaker church, deprived of a critical part of its former self. This collection supports the view that the orders provided an important link between the clerical church and the laity.