English Aristocratic Women and the Fabric of Piety, 1450-1550

Barbara J. Harris is professor emeritus of history and women’s studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Harris has assembled a large amount of material, and while she warns about the dangers of statistics, her selective use of them makes a compelling case for aristocratic women’s patterns and priorities in making pious bequests. [...] [The references in the book] make available to readers the raw materials that underlie her book and provide a tremendous resource for scholars to mine."- Katherine L. French, Early Modern Women Journal, Vol. 15, No. 2, Spring 2021 "English Aristocratic Women is useful for scholars and more general readers interested in women's piety and their responses to the religious culture of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Readers interested in the role of women in the evolution of religious art and architecture of the period will also appreciate the author's profound insights, accessible writing, and thorough research."- Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Anglican and Episcopal History Vol. 89, 4 (2020) "In this deeply informative and important work of scholarship Harris demonstrates time and again that, through provision for their souls and their bodies, many aristocratic women living through the Yorkist and Tudor reigns sought to affirm in death their own vision of self-hood often denied to them in life."- Kelcey Wilson-Lee, Church Monuments 33 (2018)

• Preface, Abbreviations, Illustrations, Introduction,Chapter 1. Tombs: Honoring the Dead Chapter 2. Chantries: The Quest for Perpetual Prayers Chapter 3. Building for the Congregation: Roofs, Aisles, and Stained Glass Chapter 4. Adorning the Liturgy: Vestments, Chapel Plate and Prayer Books Chapter 5. Almshouses and Schools: Prayers and Service to the Community Chapter 6. Defining Themselves Chapter 7. The Sequel: Destruction and Survival Conclusion Appendix 1 Women Patrons of Religious Building Appendix 2 Patrons of Tombs Appendix 3 Choice of Whom to be Buried With Appendix 4 Location of Tombs in Church Appendix 5 Patrons of Chantries Appendix 6 Patrons of Stained Glass Windows Appendix 7 Patrons of Additions or Major Repairs to Churches Appendix 8 Donors of vestments Appendix 9 Patrons of Almshouses and Schools, Glossary, Bibliography.