Blythburgh, Suffolk
First screened 29 March 2009
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Blythburgh Priory Cartulary: parts one & two, edited and introduced by Christopher Harper-Bill
Suffolk Records Society
www.suffolkrecordssociety.com
Other websites
Blythburgh.net
www.blythburgh.net/history.php
The Blythburgh website is an example of what can be achieved by a group of enthusiastic and well-informed locals. Highlights include the Short History of Blythburgh by Alan Mackley and the online versions of the Blythburgh Society's History Notes.
In 1994 the Blythburgh Society issued the first of its series of Blyth Valley History Notes. The aim was to provide an easy way of 'getting into print' for anyone with something interesting to say about the history of the area, its places and its people. The Notes could be brief reports of original research (too often never published), accounts of events or topics culled from published works, transcripts of information not readily available and thought to be of interest to a wider audience, or combinations of all three. There is also a useful bibliography about local history: Writing About Blythburgh History: A select bibiliography
Monasteries: A short history
www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/
timeteam/snapshot_monasteries.html
From their early origins in Egypt to Henry VIII's dissolution in the 1530s, this potted history of the monasteries sets the medieval Blythburgh Priory in its wider context.
The medieval era
www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/
timeteam/medieval.html
The Time Team website has a wealth of material on the medieval era. Check here for links to other programmes from the period and a wide range of background information.
Time traveller's guide to medieval Britain
www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/
history/guide12/index.html
Everything the intrepid time traveller needs to navigate their way through medieval Britain.
For links to other websites, either on archaeology generally or specific to the periods and subjects raised in the programme, see our extensive section on Archaeology websites. In particular, see the sections on the Medieval and Prehistoric eras.
Further reading
Monasteries
Monasteries in the Landscape by Mick Aston (Tempus, 2000) £17.99
This is a revised, rewritten and extensively updated edition of Mick Aston's 1993 book Monasteries (long since out of print), which focused on the place of the monasteries in the British landscape. In this book he explains how and why monasticism developed in Britain and why monasteries were placed where they were. The book looks beyond the closed world of the monastery, abbey or priory, to examine their agricultural, industrial and commercial activities that had a huge impact on the surrounding countryside and towns.
Abbeys and Priories by Glyn Coppack (Tempus, 2006) paperback £17.99
This well illustrated introduction to the archaeology of monasteries explains the development of the variations on the familiar layout of church and cloisters; it discusses the monastic precincts and such fundamental topics as the drainage and sanitation. Coppack, who is also the author of The White Monks: The Cistercians in Britain (Tempus, 1998), examines the ways in which medieval monasteries have been studied, what they comprised and how they can be interpreted, using historical, art historical and archaeological sources.
Medieval Monasteries by Patrick Greene (Continuum, 2005) paperback £27.99
This updated edition provides an accessible account of the archaeology of medieval monastic houses throughout Britain and Ireland. As well as discussing many of the advances made by research over the last two decades, innovative methods of archaeological investigation are described, and examples of good practice in the preservation of sites and their interpretation to visitors are provided. Suggestions for further research, examples of outstanding monastic sites to visit, a glossary of terms, a comprehensive bibliography and an index are also included.
Discovering Abbeys and Priories by Geoffrey Wright (Shire, 1998) paperback £5.99
This user-friendly handbook clarifies the difference between abbeys and priories, traces the history of monasteries from Anglo-Saxon times to the dissolution, and describes the different monastic orders. Considerable reference is made to sites open to the public.
Life in a Medieval Abbey by Tony McAleavy (English Heritage, 1996) paperback £6.95
Colourful picture book explaining monasticism in simple terms, from a 'who's who' of medieval monks to an evaluation of the political role of the Church in medieval England. Distinguished from other guides by some brilliant reconstruction paintings.