Throughout most of the medieval and early modern period, convocation – or, to be more accurate, the convocations of Canterbury and York – stood at the very heart of the nation’s life. They had the power to make laws, known as canons, for both clergy and laity, governing not only the affairs of the church, but also issues like slander and immorality, marriage, and the making and administration of wills.


The Records of Convocation contain the minutes of clergy synods, the legislation passed by them, tax assessments imposed by the king on the clergy, and accounts of the great debates about religious reformation and reform. But they also contain much else. The reader will, for example, find among them accounts of heresy trials in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, many of which were connected with the spread of Lollardy.


The records have never before been edited or published in full. Gerald Bray’s complete edition provides a valuable resource for scholarship, sparing researchers long stretches in public record offices.

For the Church of England, the series starts in 1313. Ten volumes are devoted to the province of Canterbury, and contain all the records surviving from 1313 until 1852. Scholars will find the materials for the period 1489–1666 of particular interest,, since the original records were burnt in the great fire of London and have had to be reconstructed from copies and allusions found elsewhere. The records for the Convocation of York are contained in three volumes, ending with its revival in 1861.

In addition to these, there are three volumes of Irish records, covering the period from 1101, when the first reforming synod in Ireland is recorded, to the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869. There are also two volumes of records of the Manx convocation. Lying in a separate jurisdiction, the diocese of Sodor and Man legislates independently, and its records preserve the fullest record of eighteenth-century affairs to be found anywhere in the Church of England. The Manx records begin in 1229 and continue to the present day.

Complementing the records themselves is an introductory volume presenting the collection as a whole and analyzing each convocation individually, as well as an index volume.


Anyone researching in the fields of medieval studies, ecclesiastical history from the middle ages to the present day, Irish history, eighteenth century church history (where the Sodor and Man volumes assume a particular importance) and even local history will find these records of undeniable importance.
Records of Convocation provides a modern, critical and comprehensive edition of the surviving records of one of the key institutions of English (and Irish) society, rivalled in importance for much of medieval and early modern period only by parliament. They form an indispensable part of the collections of any major research library.

Volumes are also available singly at £60/ $115 each or in the following set combinations:

Sets marked with an asterisk (*) include the Introductory and Index Volumes which will be delivered in November 2006. All dates and prices are approximate and subject to change without notice.
 

20 volumes, 234mm x 156mm
Boydell Press ISBN 1843831759
Publication date: August 2005-November 2006
£960/ $1,825 (set price)