The Register of Richard Praty, Bishop of Chichester, 1438-1445 - (Canterbury & York Society) by J H Stevenson (Hardcover)

About the Book

A rare survival among Chichester registers, this gives a full and rounded picture of the diocese during a period when many other church records are thin and formulaic.

Book Synopsis

A rare survival among Chichester registers, this gives a full and rounded picture of the diocese during a period when many other church records are thin and formulaic.

This is one of only three surviving Chichester bishops' registers, and the last to be published. It gives a full and detailed picture of church life during the middle years of Henry VI's reign, and so presents a valuable corrective to the period as one dominated by political strife. Richard Praty was an Oxford-trained theologian, an expert on the treatment of heretics, and a conscientious resident diocesan who worked hard to uphold standards, to ordain clergy, and yet to fulfil his obligations to the crown. It is among the richest and fullest of any bishop's register of the fifteenth century, and paints a true picture, warts and all, of the late-medieval English church.

Review Quotes

Th is thorough and scholarly edition is thus a hugely valuable addition to the growing body of published bishops' registers. It gives us a clear insight into the problems experienced in this region, themselves symptomatic of a sluggish economy and a population slow to recover from the impact of war and plague.-- "MEDIUM AEVUM"

[...] this is an excellent new addition to the calendars of medieval English episcopal registers published by the Canterbury and York Society. It very well researched and presented and is heartily recommended to all those with an interest in the pre-Reformation English church.-- "THE LOCAL HISTORIAN"

Stevenson's comprehensive edition and translation of Praty's register not only enlivens the historical record but offers to students of the medieval English church a multifaceted appreciation of episcopal responsibilities, local church life, and the archival value of such documents over time.-- "SPECULUM"