What exactly is an abbey and does it differ from a priory? This book clarifies the seeming confusion by answering these questions and much more besides.

           Abbeys and priories are both types of monastery, and the author traces the history of monasteries in Britain from Anglo-Saxon times to the Dissolution under Henry VIII. He describes the different monastic orders (Benedictines, Cisterians, etc), the running of the monasteries and the daily life of the monks and nuns, the layout of monastic buildings, the influence of the religious houses on life in medieval times and their effect on the landscape, all with reference to examples accessible to the public.