Date of Graduation
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Committee Chair
Kate Kelsey Staples
Committee Co-Chair
Janet Snyder
Committee Member
Matthew Vester
Abstract
Parishioners in the late medieval parish of Ashburton used physical labor to create, maintain, and repair their parish church itself and its contents. Of the fourteen men featured in this study some worked on the church's seating, book collection, and organs while others labored on two extensive projects concerning the repair of the church's spire and the construction of the roodloft. The parish's extensive set of churchwardens' accounts provides record of the labor that these men completed and their compensation, allowing for a detailed analysis of their contributions. With most parish studies focusing on parishioner participation through fundraising efforts, monetary donations, or deathbed bequests, a study of parishioner labor reveals another significant method of individuals' contributions to their parish community. Through their labor, these fourteen parishioners helped to establish and enhance the visual culture of their own parish church.
Recommended Citation
Bonar, Lacey, "Parishioner Labor in the Late Medieval Parish of Ashburton" (2015). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 5231.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/5231