Next Meeting, Tuesday 29th January: Understanding a Medieval Church

Late medieval writing within St Peter Mancroft church, Norwich
(please click on image in order to enlarge)

As you may have noticed, there are lots of old churches in Norwich. In fact, there are more medieval churches surviving in Norwich than do so in London, York and Bristol, combined. If we are to understand this city's history, then, we need to explore these wonderful survivors and begin to interpret why they were built, by whom and for what purpose. With this in mind, next Tuesday, we are going to be visiting the grand church of St Peter Mancroft - the very large and impressive church that stands in the heart of the city, next to Norwich market. 

As ever, we will be meeting in Marzanos cafe (ground floor in the Forum), where we have tables reserved. After refreshment and my, now customary, book 'review', we will be travelling the short distance to the church. This 'exploration' will be a team effort, shared between myself and History Club member, Dr. Carole Hill. 

I will do the introduction, set some context and then talk about the first and last plagues in Norwich, and some evidence we have connecting this to St Peter Mancroft. I will then, briefly, talk about some of the fascinating epitaphs to those who lived and died in this parish. Carole - who is the author of, 'Women and Religion in Late Medieval Norwich' (2010) - will then explain how the church would have appeared before the effects of the Reformation(s) (1530s-mid 1600s), and, in particular, how women would have interacted with the space during this period. 

Finally, our thanks to the staff and volunteers at St Peter Mancroft, who are always welcoming and keen to encourage access to their church. 

~ Colin ~