From Every Shire's End: Following the Cultural Threads of English Pilgrimage

The practice of journeying to specific locations believed to confer a range of spiritual and physical benefits was well established in Britain before the arrival of the first Christian missionaries in the late sixth century. Over the next millennium, a network of institutions ranging from local churches to monasteries and cathedrals shaped the religious life of Anglo- Saxon and Norman England, creating a diverse heritage of significant individuals recognized as patron saints of cities, professions, and universities whose veneration continued even after the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century. This article explores the research literatures of English pilgrimage in the humanities and social sciences.