St Albans Research Articles

Developing your expertise as a SENCo: Leading inclusive practice By H.Knowler, H.Richards, S.Brewster (Eds.), St Albans: Critical Publishing. 2023. pp. 196. £19.99 (pbk). ISBN: 9781915080868

Developing your expertise as a <scp>SENCo</scp>: Leading inclusive practice By H.Knowler, H.Richards, S.Brewster (Eds.), St Albans: Critical Publishing. 2023. pp. 196. £19.99 (pbk). ISBN: 9781915080868

Developing your expertise as a SENCo: leading inclusive practice By H.Knowler, H.Richards, S.Brewster (Eds.), St Albans: Critical Publishing. 2023. pp. 196. £19.99 (pbk). ISBN: 9781915080868

Developing your expertise as a SENCo: leading inclusive practice By H.Knowler, H.Richards, S.Brewster (Eds.), St Albans: Critical Publishing. 2023. pp. 196. £19.99 (pbk). ISBN: 9781915080868

Effective teaching for anxious learners—Seen, safe and supported By L.Surgeon, St Albans: Critical Publishing Limited. 2024. £19.99 (paperback). ISBN: 978‐1‐915713‐48‐3

Effective teaching for anxious learners—Seen, safe and supported By L.Surgeon, St Albans: Critical Publishing Limited. 2024. £19.99 (paperback). ISBN: 978‐1‐915713‐48‐3

What’s in a Name? Tracing the Origins of Alfred’s ‘the Great’

Abstract King Alfred (r. 871–99) is the only native-born English ruler to have gained the byname ‘the Great’. This was not a contemporary sobriquet, but is often considered to have been bestowed in the Elizabethan era by Reformation scholars who increasingly cast Alfred in the role of the founder of the English nation. The acknowledged exception is a reference to Alfred as Rex Alfredus magnus (King Alfred the Great) in a marginal annotation in Matthew Paris’s early thirteenth-century text, Deeds of the Abbots of St Albans Monastery. This medieval attestation of Alfred’s sobriquet is, however, less isolated than has been previously thought. Drawing on a variety of medieval English and Old Norse-Icelandic texts, this article identifies twenty-five examples of Alfred being called ‘the Great’, twenty-three of which have previously gone unremarked. In so doing, it argues for a widespread tradition of Alfred as ‘the Great’, the first sole ruler of all England, from at least the thirteenth century.

Forensic Hypoglycaemia &amp; Neuroglycopenia — A Clinical Legal Social Endocrinology Challenge for 2024, Forensic Law in Hypoglycaemia 4

Forensic Hypoglycaemia &amp; Neuroglycopenia — A Clinical Legal Social Endocrinology Challenge for 2024, Forensic Law in Hypoglycaemia 4

Leadership Behaviours for Effective Policing M. Kilgallon, and M. Wright (2024). St Albans: Critical Publishing. £23.87. 283 pp

Leadership Behaviours for Effective Policing M. Kilgallon, and M. Wright (2024). St Albans: Critical Publishing. £23.87. 283 pp

Richard Fox of St Albans

Richard Fox of St Albans

The “volcano theory”. The case of collective nouns involving animal groupings

The aim of this article is to study “collective” nouns (i.e. of the type a gaggle of geese) in English in order to account for the remarkable creation of new expressions that this type generates. My hypothesis is that it is a pattern for lexical innovation as there seems to be boundless imagination in the association of N1 and N2.The first section is about the distinction between “classifiers” and “quantifiers” and about the difference between a “strict” quantifier (a pound of) and an “approximative” one (a drove of pigs), which gives an idea of size based on the common experience of speaker and co-speaker.The second section provides an account of nouns referring to groups of animals. Looking back at the way these nouns were created in the fifteenth century and more specifically at Dame Juliana Berners’s The Boke of St Albans (1486) proves crucial as the motivation for the coining of new expression can thus be better understood.A brief comparison with French shows that even if some productivity can be detected, the pattern has not been as fully used as it has in English.My hypothesis is that, based on a generic pattern (in the case studied “a N1 of N2”/ “un(e) N1 de N2”), lexical innovation is limitless. Syntactic and semantic analyses are however not sufficient: social, historical and anthropological parameters have to be considered in order to explain choices and constraints on productivity.

Роль митрополита Антония Сурожского (Блума) в построении отношений РПЦ и церкви Англии в XX веке

Introduction. The article is devoted to the consideration of the role of the metropolitan Anthony Bloom of Sourozh in the development of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Church of England. The personality of the metropolitan Anthony is connected with the formation of the Surozh diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. In addition, Father Anthony assisted in the functioning of the Commonwealth of Saint Albania and Reverend Sergius, an Orthodox Anglican organization. The organization began its work in 1928. In this organization, Father Antony Bloom began his service in England in the role of spiritual director. Materials and Methods. Important sources for this article were the writings of Antony Bloom himself, where he describes the pages of his biography, tells about his work in England. In addition, information from publicist literature was also used. An important source was information from the website of the Foundation for the Spiritual Heritage of the Metropolitan Anthony Surozhsky. It contains memoirs of contemporaries and Bloom's own articles. It is also important to note the works of N.M. Zernov, a Russian emigrant, one of the initiators of the Commonwealth of St Albans and Reverend Sergius. N.M. Zernov invited Fr Anthony to England to conduct the work of the Commonwealth. N.M. Zernov together with his wife in the journal "Sobornost" left a series of his memoirs about the activities of the organization. In these memoirs there is a reference to the role of Antony Bloom in the development of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Church of England in the 20th century. Results. The author concludes that Father Anthony Bloom conducted active missionary work among English society. This allowed to increase the number of Orthodox believers in England. During the period of Antony Bloom's ministry, new parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church were opened in Great Britain. Father Anthony assisted in the activities of the Commonwealth of St Albans and Reverend Sergius. Conclusion. In the twentieth century there were a number of events that affected the decline in co-operation between the ROC and the Church of England. However, thanks to individual representatives of the Russian emigration, the relationship between the ROC and the Church of England not only survived, but continued to develop with greater vigour. To a greater extent this result is due to the personality of Metropolitan Anthony Surozhsky Bloom. He conducted work with believers and was engaged in explaining the fundamentals of the Orthodox faith on radio and television. This great work contributed to the development of dialogue between the Orthodox and Anglicans. Anthony Bloom was a participant in important events in the history of the dialogue between Orthodox and Anglicans in the second half of the 20th century.

Loveday, 1458

The Loveday of 1458 (also known as the Annunciation Loveday)[1] was a ritualistic reconciliation between warring factions of the English nobility that took place at St Paul's Cathedral on 25 March 1458. Following the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses in 1455, it was the culmination of lengthy negotiations initiated by King Henry VI to resolve the lords' rivalries. English politics had become increasingly factional during his reign, and was exacerbated in 1453 when he became catatonic. This effectively left the government leaderless, and eventually the King's cousin, and at the time heir to the throne, Richard, Duke of York, was appointed Protector during the King's illness. Alongside York were his allies from the politically and militarily powerful Neville family, led by Richard, Earl of Salisbury, and his eldest son, Richard, Earl of Warwick. When the King returned to health a year later, the protectorship ended but partisanship within the government did not. Supporters of King Henry and his Queen, Margaret of Anjou, have been loosely called "Lancastrians", the King being head of the House of Lancaster, while the duke and his party are considered "Yorkists", after his title of Duke of York.[note 1] By the 1450s, York felt increasingly excluded from government, and, in May 1455—possibly fearing an ambush by his enemies—led an army against the King at the First Battle of St Albans. There, in what has been called more of a series of assassinations than a battle, the personal enemies of York and the Nevilles—the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland, and Lord Clifford—perished. In 1458 the King attempted to unite his feuding nobles with a public display of friendship under the auspices of the Church at St Paul's Cathedral. Following much discussion and negotiation, and amid the presence of large, armed, noble retinues which almost led to another outbreak of war, a compromise was announced. To celebrate, a procession was held by all the major participants, who walked hand-in-hand from Westminster Palace to St Paul's Cathedral. Queen Margaret was partnered with York, and other adversaries were paired off accordingly, and the sons of the dead Lancastrian lords took their fathers' places. Certain reparations were ordained, all by the Yorkist lords, who for their part accepted full responsibility for the Battle of St Albans. They were ordered to make payments to the dead lords' widows and sons, and masses were paid for the souls of all who had died. Contemporaries varied in their views of the accord. Some wrote verses expressing hope that it would lead to a new-found peace and prosperity; others were more pessimistic as to its value. In the long run, the King's Loveday and its agreements had no long-lasting benefit. Within a few months, petty violence between the lords had broken out again and, within the year, York and Lancaster faced each other at the Battle of Blore Heath. Historians debate who—if anyone—actually gained from the 1458 Loveday. On the one hand, the crown publicised its role as the ultimate court of appeal but, conversely, although the Yorkists were bound to pay large sums in compensation, this was done with money already owed by the government. Fundamentally, factional discord was highlighted on the public stage, and the war it was intended to prevent was only deferred.

The Date of a Town’s Foundation as an Argument in the Debates on Its Status: the Case of St Albans

The article investigates one possible argument in a dispute about the (burghal) status of a medieval settlement typical for seigneurial towns of medieval England. It is the date of the foundation or appearance of the town in question. Having a burghal status implied that the settlement would have certain right sand privileges, that’s whyt owns people usually tried to proveit by different means, while their lord, especially if it was a monastic one, refused to acknowledge it. The temporal factor appeared to be significant in such discussion, considering that if the appearance of the town preceded the foundation of the monastery (that was its seigneur), then it would allow the former to claim the status of a royal town, even if only it the past. This fact also gave the townspeople opportunity to accuse their monastic lord in usurpation of royal powers. In the article, this issue is analyzed on the example of St Albans, a monastic town, situated in the county of Hertfordshire. This town had a very antagonistic relationship with its seigneur – the local abbey. The fact that this monastery possessed an extensive historiographical tradition allows us to determine how the monastic house constructed the history of the monastery and that of its town within the context of their adversarial relationship. It is remarkable that the references to an ancient foundation appeared at a certain point of the struggle between the town and the monastery, in the 14th century, but had already disappeared by the end of the century from the townspeople’s discourse.

An anaesthetist who missed a golden opportunity.

Richard Gordon (1921-2017) was a prolific writer of both humorous fiction and historical reviews. He trained in medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts) in London and specialised in anaesthesia working at Hill End Hospital, St Albans (where a large proportion of Barts work took place to avoid the impact of the Blitz during the Second World War) and at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford with Robert Macintosh. He published multiple papers and a book on trichlorethylene anaesthesia and edited a textbook of anaesthesia for medical students which ran for 10 editions. His gift for writing and his prominent public persona placed him in a unique position to highlight the importance of the newly emerging speciality of anaesthesia. He did the exact opposite of this and instead created a representation of an uninterested spectator to surgical activity, a representation which still persists in some quarters today.

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and related therapies for postpartum osteitis condensans llii

Background: Osteitis condensans illi often leads to low back pain in postpartum women. At present, physical therapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often used for osteitis condensans illi. Acupuncture and its related therapies have significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of osteitis condensans illi has been reported in many studies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of osteitis condensans illi, and to provide the latest evidence for clinical application. Methods: We will search PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, Weipu Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, SinoMed, and Wanfang Database, conference papers and grey literature. All relevant randomized controlled trial using acupuncture and related therapies for osteitis condensans illi will be included. Two reviewers will independently search and screen date. Systematic review and meta-analysis will be completed by RevMan5.3 software (Cochrane St Albans House 57-59 Haymarket, London, United Kingdom). Results: This study will provide comprehensive evidence of high quality of acupuncture and related therapies for osteitis condensans illi from visual analog scale, numerical rating scale, Japanese Orthopaedic Association low back pain scale, Quality of Life Scale, and adverse reactions. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis will provide a reliable for evaluating the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and related therapies in treatment postpartum osteitis condensans illi.

2 Henry VI and the Tomb of Duke Humphrey

ABSTRACT This article explores the intersection of Shakespeare’s depiction of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 2 Henry VI and the cultural memory of this historical figure in the seventeenth century, with a focus on the site of the duke’s tomb at St Albans Abbey. I first call attention to, edit, and translate a Latin epitaph ‘pensild on the wall neare to his Tombe’ by the clergyman William Westerman around 1617, which could have been prompted by Shakespeare’s play. I then bring to light some explicit references to 2 Henry VI, previously unidentified, in the Civil War-era satirical pamphlet The Devill seen at St. Albons.

The Windridge Farm Glandes Revisited: Clues to Conquest?

AbstractRoman lead sling bullets (glandes) have been found at Windridge Farm near St Albans in Hertfordshire since the 1970s. A previous study suggested these missiles could have originated from a plough-disturbed hoard of Roman lead objects. More recent discoveries of glandes from other sites throughout Europe have enhanced our understanding of depositional characteristics, morphology and lead sources for Roman sling bullets and this paper offers an alternative explanation for their loss. Their atypical form (for Britain), and the prospect of a continental origin of the lead ore for their manufacture, suggest an early date of deposition. We also argue that the number of bullets and the pattern of their dispersal are indicative of an episode of conflict. After review of attested early military engagements that could have taken place in the vicinity, we propose that the projectiles may relate to one of two events: Claudius's invasion under the auspices of Aulus Plautius in a.d. 43 or Caesar's second incursion of 54 b.c.

Radiography of human dry bones: A reflective account with recommendations for practice

IntroductionThis study presents the reflective account of a large-scale radiographic survey of medieval and post-medieval long bones from St Albans, United Kingdom. As a practicing diagnostic radiographer and archaeologist, the author sought to apply experiential learning to generate recommendations for archaeological and forensic radiography practice. The purpose of the imaging was to identify Harris lines for biological stress, however this reflective piece concerns the adaptation of clinical radiographic technique for human dry bones. MethodsImaging took place over five sessions in early 2021 with the assistance of an osteoarchaeologist. Radiography followed standard clinical views (anterior-posterior and medio-lateral) of femora, humeri, radii and tibiae using a digital radiography system. A workplace diary was used to record challenges, solutions and musings related to radiographic technique. The Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper reflective model was applied to collate and present findings. ResultsA total of 502 radiographs of 426 long bones (92 individuals) were acquired. A multidisciplinary team was found to be essential for correct identification of anatomy, laterality and orientation of remains during the survey. Anterior-posterior views were easiest to achieve, with medio-lateral imaging requiring considerably more effort. Radiolucent sponge supports were necessary, although fragmented remains were often impossible to position accurately. Hands-on experience of human bones improved the author's knowledge and confidence with osteology. ConclusionAlthough limited to selective long bones of archaeological context and personal experience, the findings of this study have direct applications for forensic radiography practice. This includes use of a multidisciplinary team, robust workflow with integrated failsafe checks, consistent imaging approach and the application of radiolucent sponge supports. Implications for practiceRecommendations within this study may contribute towards a comprehensive guide for radiographic technique for human dry bones.

Quaternary history of the Ayot Paleogene Outlier, Southeast England: A field and laboratory case-study in local geology with regional implications

Despite limited exposures, detailed field mapping and sedimentological analyses – particle size, clast petrography and fine-sand mineralogy (plus limited coarse silt and clay mineralogy) – have elucidated the ages, provenance and depositional environments of the complex and controversial Quaternary deposits covering the Ayot Paleogene Outlier. Most of the sediments were largely derived directly and/or indirectly from local facies of the Woolwich and Reading Formation. The oldest deposits are (Pre-)Pastonian proto-Thames gravels overlain by thin sands, which collectively represent crucial evidence for the earliest (Stoke Row) terrace of the proto-Thames. These materials were later thrust southwards by the Anglian ice close to its margin, which deposited a thin yet heterogeneous till at Ayot. This unit is correlated with the Ware Till, suggesting that the Anglian ice was thicker during the earlier of its two major southwestward incursions into the Vale of St Albans. An aeolian mantle was deposited on the Outlier during the Late Devensian; most of the blown material was incorporated into the upper regions of the till but some accumulated in depressions to form brickearths that resemble some Chiltern Brickearths. A colluvial apron developed during the Holocene, together with three swallow-holes. Some of these depositional events were separated by periods of poorly-preserved pedogenesis.

The God-Awful Small Affair of the Invisible Organist: David Bowie Translated

Abstract Following the sudden death of David Bowie in January 2016, perhaps the least expected tributes were the various organ renditions of his 1973 single ‘Life On Mars’ played by the organists of St Albans Cathedral, Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow and Dublin’s St Joseph’s Church. Becoming instant social media sensations, what are we to make of these different versions of Bowie’s song played on the pipe organ, the so-called ‘King of Instruments’, and why did the organists choose ‘Life On Mars’ over any other Bowie song? In this essay, I consider these and other related questions from a range of theoretical perspectives, initially drawing on philosopher and musicologist Peter Szendy’s notion of the musical arrangement as translation, whilst also conceding that as a translation, something in the process of arrangement is lost. What might that ‘something’ be? Understanding him to be one of the most conspicuous musical artists of our time, I go on to employ media philosopher Sybille Kramer’s transmission theory of communication, positing Bowie as a messenger-translator who is also a powerful cultural interferer. As such, he is the antithesis of the church organist who, like the person of the textual translator as outlined by translation theorist Lawrence Venuti, has occupied a marginal if not abject space within musical history. Given this relegated position, how does Bowie’s own use of the organ sit with its use as an instrument of elegy in the various renditions referred to above, and can it tell us anything else about translation?

The Deeds of the Abbots of St Albans: Gesta Abbatum Monasterii Sancti Albani ed. by James G. Clark

Reviewed by: The Deeds of the Abbots of St Albans: Gesta Abbatum Monasterii Sancti Albani ed. by James G. Clark Peter McDonald Clark, James G., ed., and David Preest, trans., The Deeds of the Abbots of St Albans: Gesta Abbatum Monasterii Sancti Albani, Woodbridge, The Boydell Press, 2019; hardback; pp. xvii, 990; R.R.P. £150.00; ISBN: 9781783270767. The Gesta Abbatum of St Albans, from the foundation under King Offa until the death of Abbot Thomas de la Mare in 1396, is the longest continuous chronicle of an English monastery. H. T. Riley's Latin edition in the Rolls Series (1867–69) has shaped the work of historians of the abbey, such as James Clark and Michelle Still, and scholars of broader monastic history, especially David Knowles. But it has been available in English only in excerpts, by G. G. Coulton and Richard Vaughan, and has attracted less notice than St Albans's national chronicles by [End Page 204] Matthew Paris, Thomas Walsingham, and others. The present volume fills that gap admirably. The translation uses Riley's Latin, based on Walsingham's final ('C') version, as a starting point, but Clark and Preest have done the comparative work on the manuscripts necessary for a critical edition of the Latin. Each chapter has an annex with notes recording manuscript variants, in parallel with comprehensive footnotes that identify people, places, and subjects in the text and provide helpful commentary. Documents reproduced in the text appear in précis for brevity, but the work still runs to a thousand pages—a massive achievement in every sense. Only a few minor typographical errors have crept through. The translation is excellent. It is unfailingly accurate in the passages that I have checked against the original, but not slavishly literal. Rather, it is fluent and lively, recapturing the voice, mentality, and outlook of the authors and their community. A corporate work of many hands over more than 300 years, the Gesta conveys a sense of memory handed down. The thirty abbatial portraits are neither liturgical necrologies nor hagiographies. Indeed, each concludes with a reflection on the subject's faults and failings, for moral education and perhaps to put the incumbent's in perspective. They may have originated in a roll kept by the cellarer; by Walsingham's time the responsibility was the precentor's. The early entries are brief, formulaic, and sometimes inaccurate. But from the late eleventh century the detail and colour increase, reflecting the growing need for written historical validation. The hands of Paris and Walsingham are evident in the thirteenth- and fourteenth-century entries (for example, some vintage Matthew Paris invective on pp. 484–88), and Walsingham draws extensively on the abbey's records. But even they keep to the inherited format, mute their personal styles, and look internally rather than out to the wider world. The insight into the inner life of the house is unrivalled among English monasteries. We have detailed accounts of liturgy, devotion, and observance of the Rule in the abbey and its cells and of the thinking behind the abbots' measures, which other houses' customaries lack. The tension between upholding the Rule and the humane urge to mitigate runs through the chronicle, including the sections on Michael of Mentmore and de la Mare as presidents of the provincial chapter. The portraits of the abbots are matched elsewhere only by Jocelin of Brakelond and Walter Daniel, and then only for one man. The chronicles detail not only the house's acquisition of liturgical items but also its interest in books and learning, in which St Albans stood out; the monastic school, the move into the universities and the achievements of university-educated abbots are documented. We also get rare glimpses of monastic preaching (pp. 769–70) and pastoral care. The text displays the tendency of St Albans, like other monasteries, to see the abbot's duty as building up the house's resources, to its glory and that of its patron saint. Each chapter proudly documents his acquisitions and catalogues his losses as failings, or even as sin. That mentality also shapes the chroniclers' dismissive [End Page 205] attitudes towards the townsmen and peasants, who rebel wickedly against...

Monastic Europe: Medieval Communities, Landscapes, and Settlements ed. by Edel Bhreathnach et al.

Reviewed by: Monastic Europe: Medieval Communities, Landscapes, and Settlements ed. by Edel Bhreathnach et al. Robert Curry Bhreathnach, Edel, Małgorzata Krasnodębska-D'Aughton, and Keith Smith, eds, Monastic Europe: Medieval Communities, Landscapes, and Settlements (Medieval Monastic Studies, 4), Turnhout, Brepols, 2019; hardback; pp. xx, 553; 70 b/w, 32 colour illustrations, 20 b/w maps, 18 colour maps, 6 b/w tables; R.R.P. €75.00; ISBN 9782503569796. Readers might expect to feel on well-trodden ground with a volume that deals with monastic 'communities, landscapes and settlements', for these are themes universally applicable to the study of any monastery, and not just those in the European Christian tradition. Familiar though these themes may be, the case studies presented in the book under review are sure to introduce readers to many locations and foundations rarely encountered in mainstream West-European monastic historiography. The twenty-one chapters, nineteen of which originated as [End Page 185] conference papers delivered in Ennis, Ireland, in 2015, constitute a veritable tour d'horizon of monastic Europe. They are striking for the breadth of geographical coverage they embrace and for the range of ancillary disciplines they draw on: psychogeography and archaeology, to name but two. In this respect, Monastic Europe provides a companion volume to Monasteries on the Borders of Medieval Europe (2013), which appeared in the Brepols series 'Medieval Church Studies' (reviewed in Parergon, 31.2 (2014), 178–80). This volume is far more than just a well-edited collection of reworked conference papers. Notwithstanding the variety of methodological approaches and varying degrees of scholarly acumen, Monastic Europe gels into a coherent and stimulating exploration of lesser-known monastic cultures. Contributions are organized around three themes: identification of the familia monastica; monasticism's role in shaping landscapes and patterns of settlement; and monastic environments and economies. Chief editor, Edel Bhreathnach, provides an excellent introduction that includes detailed observations and insightful cross-references to areas of commonality in contributors' chapters. And what is highlighted in her introduction one can follow up by consulting the well-designed index that combines key topics, personalia (inter alia twenty-nine saints), establishments (144 monasteries no less), place names, and curiosities such as the 'culdees'. While some of the chapters strike this reviewer as heavy on amassed detail and a little light on interpretation, all chapters have the great asset of an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Collectively, at over seventy-eight pages net, they constitute a rich resource, not readily available elsewhere, for further research. Readers will no doubt bring to Monastic Europe their own special interests and areas of expertise. Women's houses figure importantly in only three chapters (Chapters 11, 20, and 21), a reflection perhaps of the paucity of information generally about female monasticism. That is not the case, however, with Portugal. It boasted no fewer than eight Poor Clare monasteries, four of them royal foundations. It is a pity that Catarina Almeida Marado's enlightening coverage of Portuguese Franciscan houses takes no account of them. While music, per se, is nowhere mentioned in the volume, musicologists, and especially those interested in Notre Dame polyphony, will surely want to read Elizabeth Valdez del Álamo's chapter (Chapter 14) on San Domingo de Silos. Their eye will also be caught by the passing references in Chapters 1 and 11 to the céli Dé (anglicized as 'culdees'), the ancient Celtic order that metamorphosed into a secular chapter and eventually into the royal chapel of St Andrew's Priory, Scotland, which possessed a copy of Notre Dame's Magnus liber organi. While space does not permit detailed discussion of individual chapters, it would be remiss not to highlight the impressive contributions by Alf Tore Hommedal (Chapter 2) and Frederik Felskau (Chapter 9). Hommedal weaves together a fascinating tale that unfolded during the eleventh century, centred on the remote Norwegian island of Selja, the site of an episcopal see, home to English Benedictines from St Albans, and the location of the sanctuary of the apocryphal [End Page 186] St Sunniva. He traces the influence of the cult of this saint on the relocation of the bishopric and on the Benedictines' enlightened self-interest in continuing...