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Synopsis:

Norfolk had over 100 monasteries in the Middle Ages. They owned large areas of the county and played a key role in its social, economic and religious life.

This book discusses who became monks and nuns, the different groups of religious people, what they did, and why they were so important. All its illustrations are taken from Norfolk religious houses and their records - it includes a gazeteer intended to encourage people to visit the sites of Norfolk monastic houses and to appreciate the surviving buildings. It also considers lighter sides of the subject, such as the evidence for monks playing football and the ghost-stories associated with monastic sites!