The religious gild was central to the structure of late medieval society, providing lay people with a focus for public expressions of orthodox piety that accorded with the doctrinal views of government between 1399 and 1531. Using evidence from the county of Yorkshire, this book argues that beyond their devotional and ceremonial roles, the influence of these basically pious institutions permeated all aspects of late medieval political, social and economic activity. The author begins by discussing the evidence for Yorkshire gilds in the late fourteenth century, moving on to survey the changing...
The religious gild was central to the structure of late medieval society, providing lay people with a focus for public expressions of orthodox piety t...
