Church Building and Society in the Later Middle Ages by Gabriel Byng

Abstract

Reviewed by: Church Building and Society in the Later Middle Ages by Gabriel Byng Judy Bailey Byng, Gabriel, Church Building and Society in the Later Middle Ages (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series, 107), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2017; hardback; pp. xi, 324; R.R.P. £75.00; ISBN 9781107157095. This well-researched volume on the administration, management, and financing of English parish church construction in the late medieval period takes a different perspective from that of previous scholars. Gabriel Byng does not seek to add to the literature about pious motivation. Rather, he examines the ‘nuts and bolts’ of church building—the financing of building projects, the management of projects via contracting committees and fabric wardens, and the complex nature of fundraising efforts. It is refreshing to read a new perspective about the surge of parish church building in the late medieval period. Byng’s work concentrates on the political economy of the parish rather than individual piety or community cohesion. The integration of economic data such as prices for raw materials, labour costs, and wages, with churchwardens’ accounts and contracts indicates that these projects were often complex and multi-faceted. Project managers needed considerable financial acumen to manage church building in England at this time. The volume is divided into six chapters. The first two chapters examine the financing of building projects; firstly, by parishioners, and secondly through patronage by ecclesiastical institutions or the gentry. Chapters 3 and 4 examine how the construction was organized. The key role of churchwardens in the parish has been examined by many scholars such as Beat Kümin in his 1996 book The Shaping of a Community: The Rise and Reformation of the English Parish c. 1400–1560 (Ashgate, 1996). Byng confirms this role by adding that parishes with strong wardens, who were held in high regard and had the ability and wherewithal to access funds, could galvanize the community and push through projects. However, if the project grew too large or complex, temporary contracting committees or fabric wardens were employed. The final chapter explores the role in organizing building construction by the clergy, gentry, or the aristocracy. In one example, Byng uses private fabric accounts kept by the lord of the manor, John Bolney, to analyse the construction of the parish church tower in Bolney, West Sussex, in 1536–37. These accounts clearly show that John Bolney shared financial and organizational responsibility with the parish. The churchwarden arranged lodgings for two masons and organized the contract for timberwork. Without these surviving accounts, it might well be assumed that the parish had no role in the tower construction. [End Page 279] This book is an excellent addition to the large corpus of material on the late medieval parish. It provides a holistic insight into the economic, social, and political complexities of parish church building. Judy Bailey Barmera, South Australia Copyright © 2022 Judy Bailey