Rosaries, Paternosters and Devotion to the Virgin in the Households of John Baret of Bury St. Edmunds

Abstract

The will of John Baret (1463) contains numerous bequests of prayer beads, or rosaries, which can be understood as a manifestation of his fervent devotion to the Virgin Mary. This received further expression in his household devotional practices and provision for their continuation after his death, which included the remodelling of his house to accommodate priests from St. Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds, to which he also made generous bequests. Baret regarded himself as belonging to multiple households, both spiritual and temporal, and the intricate connections between these are given expression in the many bequests of religious objects, particularly rosaries, in his will.