The post-Norman ecclesiastical and political transformation of south-east Wales, recorded in early C12 manuscript. This book explores the ecclesiastical and political transformation of south-east Wales in the later eleventh and early twelfth centuries. Ecclesiastical and administrative reform was one of the defining characteristics of the Norman regime in Britain, and the author argues that a new generation of clergy in South Wales was at the heart of this reforming programme. The focus of this volume is the early twelfth-century Book of Llandaf, one of the most perplexing but exciting historical works from post-Conquest Britain. It has long been viewed as a primary source for the history of early medieval Wales, but here it is presented in a fresh light, as a monument to learning and literature in Norman Wales, produced in the same literary milieu as Geoffrey of Monmouth. As such, the Book of Llandaf provides us with valuable insights into the state of the Norman Church in Wales, and allows us to understand how it thought about its past. JOHN DAVIES is Research Fellow in Scottish History, University of Edinburgh

"'May they be cursed in town and cursed in the fields. May their barns be cursed and may their bones be cursed. May the fruit of their loins be cursed as well as the fruit of their lands.' French monks of the Middle Ages hurled curses like these at their enemies, seeking supernatural assistance when no secular judge could help them. In a long-awaited book written with elegance and erudition, Lester Little undertakes the first full-length study of these maledictions.... The book's focus is the way that religious communities—especially the monks who followed Benedict's Rule and hence were known by his name—used liturgical cursing to safeguard their integrity and their possessions, against both laymen and other ecclesiastics." —Journal of Social History

This handsomely illustrated book suggests new ways of understanding a cultural institution central to the spiritual and artistic imagination of the Middle Ages. Bringing together fourteen essays by contributors representing a number of disciplines, it illuminates issues including the place of sanctity in society, the role of gender in the representation of sainthood, and the use of hagiographic conventions in other genres.

Includes special issues.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has a leading national role in developing and promoting understanding of the archaeological, built and maritime heritage of Wales, as the originator, curator and supplier of authoritative information for individual, corporate and governmental decision makers, researchers, and the general public.

This Inventory forms Part ii of Volume IV of the series planned for the county of Glamorgan. Volume III is intended to survey the secular monuments of the Middle Ages: Part i, defensive, and Part ii, nondefensive. Volume IV is intended to survey the secular monuments of the period between the Reformation and the Industrial Revolution: Part i The Greater Houses, and Part ii The Farmhouses and Cottages. When complete, the series should provide a comprehensive description of the surviving dwellings of the people of Glamorgan, both fortified and unfortified, from the time of the Norman invasion until the accession of George III, together with a few selected monuments of later date. In Part i of the present volume were described the principal residences of the major land-owning families built between ca. 1540 and 1760. In all, 42 houses were fully illustrated and described. In Part ii will be found some of the secondary residences of those families, as well as houses of lesser landowners, but chiefly recorded here are the houses of minor gentry and the tenant farmers, yeomen, and husbandmen, effectively the 'middle class' of rural society. In all, 1,136 houses have been noted. In addition a selection of farmbuildings has been included, a total of 342 being noted. Contents Map of Ecclesiastical Parishes List of Maps Chairman's Preface Report, with List of Monuments selected by the Commissioners as especially worthy of preservation List of Commissioners and Staff Presentation of Material Abbreviated Titles of References Historical Survey Architectural Survey Maps illustrating Building Features Illustrated Inventory arranged by Plan Types MED Medieval Houses AL Sub-medieval, 'Direct-Entry' Houses with Lateral Chimney A Sub-medieval, 'Direct-Entry' Houses with Chimneys on the End Gable or on the Cross Wall away from the Entry B Sub-medieval, 'Hearth-passage', End-entry and Chimney-backing-onto-the-entry Houses BL Sub-medieval, 'Hearth-passage' Houses: Long-houses C Sub-medieval, 'Lobby-entry' Houses E Sub-medieval, 'Offset-entry' Houses H Sub-medieval, 'Gable-end-entry' Houses U Sub-medieval, 'Unit-system' Houses R Renaissance 'Central-planned,' Symmetrical Houses MISC Miscellaneous Domestic Remains L Llantwit Major CB Cowbridge F Farm Buildings List of Sites List of Ecclesiastical Parishes, with incidence of monuments List of Civil Parishes with incidence of monuments Glossary Index Map of Civil Parishes