The archive of the official of Stow and the ‘machinery’ of church government in the late thirteenth century

Abstract

The government and administration of the late medieval church is often said to have relied upon bureaucratic ‘machinery’. Using unpublished documents from the archive of Benedict of Ferriby, official of the archdeacon of Stow in the later thirteenth century, the author argues that bureaucracy was not simply mechanical and that ecclesiastical administration depended on personal relations and local knowledge. The operation of pastoral care and ecclesiastical justice in the localities is illuminated, the use of documents is discussed, and the role of the laity in these operations is explored.