The Proprietary Church in the Medieval West

Susan Wood is an Emeritus Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford where she was a Lecturer, Fellow, and Tutor for over 35 years.

• PART I: BEGINNINGS ; 1. The Roman Empire and Post-Roman Kingdoms ; 2. A New Stage: Bavaria, Alemania, and Lombard Italy, Mid-Eighth to Mid-Ninth Century ; 3. The Converging of Private and Parish Churches ; 4. The Question of Origins ; 5. Early Monasteries: Their Founders and Abbotts ; 6. Some Non-Frankish Patterns of Family Interest in Monasteries ; 7. Transition to Outside Lordship of Monasteries ; 8. The Emergence of Bishop's Lordship over Monasteries ; 9. The Emergence of Lay Ruler's Lordship over Monasteries ; PART II: LORDSHIP OVER HIGHER CHURCHES, NINTH TO ELEVENTH CENTURIES ; 10. Kings and Princes ; 11. Nobles other than Founder's Heirs ; 12. Noble Founders and their Heirs ; 13. Great Churches as Lords of Monasteries ; PART III: LOWER CHURCHES AS PROPERTY, NINTH TO ELEVENTH CENTURIES ; 14. Lesser Churches' Resources in Lands and other Possessions ; 15. Lesser Churches' Resources in Tithes and Offerings ; 16. Proprietors' Arrangements with their Priests ; 17. Lay Proprietors ; 18. Priests as Proprietors ; 19. Higher Churches as Proprietors ; 20. Some Proprietary Elements in a Bishop's Authority ; PART IV: IDEAS, OPINION, CHANGE ; 21. The Juridical Condition of Churches ; 22. Legislation and Reforming Opinion ; 23. Monastic Reform: Lordship and Liberty ; 24. Gregorian Reform ; 25. Towards a Bureaucratic Church ; 26. The Longer Term ; Bibliography ; Index

Wood's impressive study of the propriety church, a study which should enrich current debates, leaven further research, and assume its place as a momument of contemorary medieval scholarship.