Paul Carley-Annear
Department: HASS
Discipline: History
Research Centre/Unit: Centre for Medieval Studies
Project Summary
My thesis examines free-standing late medieval chapels of ease established to meet the needs of dispersed communities. These chapels were often sited several miles from the parish church to reduce the travels of parishioners over hazardous terrain or harsh seasonal weather.
The study underscores the unique historical significance of chapelries in two distinct counties, Cornwall and Herefordshire. These counties, positioned at the most southerly and westerly points from medieval English centres of power at London and Canterbury, hold a distinctive place in the narrative of medieval church history. Their geographical isolation, coupled with their diverse communities, including secular, monastic, manorial, and castle communities, contributes to their historical richness.
The proliferation of chapels of ease by c.1250 is a central theme of this study. This period witnessed a significant change in the status of chapels of ease, as the newly built or reconstructed chapels became subservient to their parish church. The resulting conflicts, encompassing parochial rights, staffing, finance, divine service and advowsons, ignited a series of disputes between diocesan authorities, lords, and communities, as evidenced in chapel petitions and ordinances found in late medieval episcopal registers.
These disputes primarily revolved around the provision of baptism and burial rights, reflecting the community's profound involvement in establishing and operating these chapels. For instance, chapelgoers, having constructed new chapels or rebuilt dilapidated ones, rallied behind lead parishioners and canon lawyers to secure necessary licences from episcopal authorities. Other disputes have been examined regarding the provision of staffing, finance, maintenance, and divine service, further highlighting the community's dedication to these chapels.
This study equally argues that relationships between chapelries, other institutions, and jurisdictions within the church were often cordial, challenging the common perception of conflicts in medieval church history. For example, diocesan authorities freely granted parochial rights in cooperation with lords and communities. The theme of cooperation is further explored through the amalgamation of some chapels in Herefordshire, the provision of indulgences, chantry space, gilds and annual celebrations honouring dedications and feast days between church and chapel.
Critically, this thesis also examines the wider liturgical practice of chapels of ease, evident in baptismal, matrimonial, and burial ceremonies, and how they acted as venues for churching and ordination ceremonies. Research also focuses on the provision of divine service, considered through liturgical text and ornaments recorded in inventories of chapels of ease during episcopal visitations or recorded during disputes.
The reformation and its profound impact on parish structures are also examined, shedding light on the resilience of some chapels of ease. This thesis seeks to explain why many chapels of ease, notably in towns, disappeared due to reforming statutes while others survived and evolved into parish churches that have left a lasting imprint on our history through their adaptability and significance.
Supervisory Team
Professor James Clark and Professor Catherine Rider
Wider Research Interests
2023: I have been fortunate to present papers at the annual Nicholas Orme Lecture Symposium at Exeter University and the International Medieval Congress at Leeds University. Both papers presented the positions of medieval chapels of ease and largely focused on research concerning the parochial rights of baptism and burial observed in medieval disputes between c.1250 and 1600.
2024: My paper concerning 'Bodies, Burial and Boundaries: Where to Bury the Medieval Chapelgoers' was presented at the annual postgraduate symposium at Bristol University; the theme 'Bodies and Boundaries'.
My research interests revolve around any medieval chapel. In particular, canon law relating to chapels from the Anglo-Saxon period to the immediate post-Reformation period is a central theme to my studies. In particular, the process by which a chapel of ease became a parish church is also important to my research. I find early and late medieval burial practices particularly fascinating, and I endeavour to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to this topic through medieval literature, art and archaeology.
