The monastic life has always been a central part of the Christian experience and a unique experiment in community life. Yet despite the desire of those who entered the religious life to turn their backs on the world, monastic houses remained very much a part of it. This book explores the development of monasticism in Britain from the last half-century of Anglo-Saxon England to the year 1300. It investigates how the monastic order was affected by the Norman settlement in the years after 1066, traces the impact on Britain of new European interpretations of monasticism, and details Britain's response to the challenge of providing for the needs of religious women. It also examines the constant tensions between the monastic ideal and the demands made on religious communities by the world, by their founders and patrons, by kings, and by the secular church, and explores the vital role of the religious orders in the economy. This is the first general book on monastic history to cover England, Wales and Scotland, and the first general textbook to explore the interdependence of religious communities and the wider secular world.

List of illustrations; Preface; 1. Before the Normans; 2. The coming of the Normans; 3. The regular canons; 4. The new monastic orders of the twelfth century; 5. Women and the religious life; 6. The mendicant orders; 7. The physical setting: monastic buildings and the monastic plan; 8. Inside a religious house: daily life and the chain of command; 9. Learning and literary activities; 10. Religious houses and the wider community: founders, patrons and benefactors; 11. The monastic economy; 12. On the brink of change; Glossary; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.