English Episcopal Acta

Designed as a reference resource for history studies of the 12th and early 13th centuries, these two volumes are now available in paperback for the wider use of medieval historians. The output of the archbishops' chanceries reveals that the underlying principles of ecclesiastical government were changed not by the turbulent events of the period, but by a gradual evolution of offices, institutions and customs in Latin Christendom. This collection of official acts reflects the unprecedented activity of English prelates of this period in the management of their dioceses, in the transfer of parochial patronage from laymen to religious houses, and in correspondence with the court of Rome.