Commemoration of the dead in the late medieval English parish: an overview

The artefacts within our parish churches can add an important dimension to the archaeological study of the buildings themselves. Many categories of fixtures, fittings and ornaments have received detailed attention from art historians as to their typology and development, but one aspect that has been neglected is the reasons why so many religious artefacts were provided by pious members of church congregations. They sought commemoration not just by erecting tomb monuments but also through many other forms of memoria. This paper, which covers the period c1300–1558, examines the responses of individuals to the doctrine of Purgatory by carrying out good works to improve their chances of salvation.