Native Law and the Church in Medieval Wales

by Huw Pryce

Overview

This is the first full scholarly study of the relationship between native secular law and the church in medieval Wales. The interaction was close, despite Archbishop Pecham's condemnation of native law as the work of the devil. Huw Pryce assesses the influence of the church on Welsh law, examining the participation of churchmen in the composition of lawbooks and the administration of legal processes and analyzing ecclesiastical criticism of native customs, notably those concerning marriage. He considers the extent to which Welsh law defended the authority and possessions of the church, focusing in particular on the status of clerics and on rights of sanctuary and lordship. The book throws revealing new light on both the law and the church in Wales in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. As a study of the impact of ecclesiastical reform on a society perceived by some contemporaries as barbarian and immoral, this scholarly and lucid account makes an important contribution to medieval history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198203629
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/08/1993
Series:	Oxford Historical Monographs
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 8.81(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

University College of North Wales, Bangor

Editorial Reviews

"Well written, carefully and persuasively argued, this work advances our knowledge and understanding of the church's place in medieval Welsh society."—American Historical Review

"Scholars of the medieval fringes have not always made their territories particularly welcoming to outsiders. Huw Pryce's book is a pleasurable exception: it opens the closed world of medieval Welsh law to any adventurous invader."—The Historian

"The author argues his points carefully and has produced a work that is both a nuanced study of his topic and a helpful and thought-provoking introduction for the nonspecialist to high-medieval Wales and its lawbooks. The book points the way for future studies."—Speculum

"Native Law and the Church is a splendid book and a major contribution to the literature on the subject."—Albion

"Pryce's scholarship is impeccable...[T]he work will quickly and deservedly become a standard reference for the history of ecclesiastical law, both in Wales and in Britain generally."—Law and History Review

From the Publisher