to the 2008 edition
On 18 June 2007 a colloquium took place in honour of Christopher Brooke on the occasion of his eightieth birthday, in the Social Science Suite of Queen Mary, University of London. Queen Mary is the proud bearer of the heritage of Westfield College, which merged with Queen Mary in 1989. At Queen Mary the study of medieval religious cultures flourishes, just as it had done at Westfield College, where Christopher served as Professor of Medieval History between 1967 and 1977. It seemed most fitting to celebrate Christopher’s achievements – past and still very much present – at Queen Mary. Thanks to the support of the Department of History and the Humanities and Social Science Sector at Queen Mary we were able to offer a venue and generous hospitality to speakers and other participants. The papers collected in this issue were delivered and discussed on that day, an event which drew medieval scholars from London and far beyond.
This enterprise of sharing new approaches to the study of medieval religious cultures received an excellent launch from the inaugurating lecture delivered by Professor Giles Constable on the evening of the colloquium. The Institute of Historical Research graciously hosted the event. Its Director, Professor David Bates, also suggested that the papers be published by the Institute. It is pleasing to know that the events we enjoyed so much that summer will thus be shared in part with a much wider audience. I am very grateful to Dr Jane Winters and Ms Emily Morrell for their guidance and support, and to the contributors who toiled to turn their animated talks into articles for publication.