George Gandy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by George Gandy
Architectural History, 2023
One of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel occu... more One of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel occupies the summit of a prodigiously steep island site off the coast of Normandy in northern France. The church was built between 1023 and c. 1080–85. The monastic buildings, to the north of the church, were arranged vertically as much as horizontally, reflecting the
constraints of the site. They appear to have comprised three adjacent and interconnecting buildings, two of three storeys, the other of two. However, two of these three ranges were overbuilt in the early thirteenth century by an ambitious development which became known as the Merveille (c. 1212–28). This article seeks to identify the buildings that the Merveille
replaced and thus the entire complex as it existed in the twelfth century. This inevitably involves a certain amount of speculation and perhaps for this reason the complex has hitherto been largely ignored, important though it is for an understanding of the abbey’s early history. The article also discusses other building projects relevant to the monks, such as the cemetery, the twelfth-century Hôtellerie and the thirteenth-century infirmary and mortuary chapel, and analyses the genesis of the Merveille. Among the findings or propositions are that the monks’ cemetery was housed in what may once have been a ducal palace; that the abbey’s
cloister occupied the same position as it does today but was at a lower, mezzanine level an was smaller than the present cloister; that the chapter house and infirmary were probably adjacent to the west walk of the cloister; that the original provision for kitchen and cellar and for sleeping space was inadequate; and that the Merveille, which was the work of Abbot Raoul des Îles, was not entirely new-build as sometimes thought, but a transformation and redevelopment of buildings that already existed.
Medieval English Theatre, 2020
An analysis of two folios, found by chance during the nineteenth century, which record parts of f... more An analysis of two folios, found by chance during the nineteenth century, which record parts of four miracle plays, and the author's suggestions concerning how and when the original plays might have been performed at Mont Saint-Michel in the fourteenth century.
Dr Leonard Polonsky thesis digitisation, 1979
This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became e... more This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became extremely common during the early nineteenth century, subsequently declining sharply in frequency from around the 1840s to levels reminiscent of the preceding century. In the normal course of events a thesis within the field of socio-economic history will often evolve from the author having first selected a subject, then an approach to its study, and finally a location for implementing or testing his model. However in the present case the subject matter was virtually thrust at the author by his chance acquaintanceship with Culcheth's poor law papers the bulk of which, having been discovered in an attic, passed into his custody in 1965 to be dried out and sorted. The surprising volume of bastardy papers and account books led to a perusal of the parish registers and to the discovery of an illegitimacy ratio sometimes exceeding 30% of registered births. This was sufficiently odd to warrant further investigation, although four years elapsed before the author was in a position to embark on the task ... [see pdf file for full abstract].
Dans Annales de Normandie Annales de Normandie 2015/1 (65e année) 2015/1 (65e année), pages 153 à... more Dans Annales de Normandie Annales de Normandie 2015/1 (65e année) 2015/1 (65e année), pages 153 à 182 Éditions Association Les Annales de Normandie Association Les Annales de Normandie
Architectural History
ABSTRACTOne of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Mic... more ABSTRACTOne of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel occupies the summit of a prodigiously steep island site off the coast of Normandy in northern France. The church was built between 1023 and c. 1080–85. The monastic buildings, to the north of the church, were arranged vertically as much as horizontally, reflecting the constraints of the site. They appear to have comprised three adjacent and interconnecting buildings, two of three storeys, the other of two. However, two of these three ranges were overbuilt in the early thirteenth century by an ambitious development which became known as the Merveille (c. 1212–28). This article seeks to identify the buildings that the Merveille replaced and thus the entire complex as it existed in the twelfth century. This inevitably involves a certain amount of speculation and perhaps for this reason the complex has hitherto been largely ignored, important though it is for an understanding of the abbe...
Boydell UK eBooks, May 21, 2021
Speculum, 2020
The steep, tumulus-like, granite island of Mons Tumba, better known since the tenth century as Mo... more The steep, tumulus-like, granite island of Mons Tumba, better known since the tenth century as Mont Saint-Michel, is situated in northwest France in a marine bay that is bordered to the south by Brittany and to the east by Normandy. The island appears to have been continuously home to a religious community from the early eighth century until the French Revolution. There is no particular reason to doubt the tradition, which is reflected in the early twelfth-century annals composed at Mont Saint-Michel, that Bishop Aubert of nearby Avranches (in what was then Neustria but later became Normandy) commenced construction of the first church on the island to be dedicated to Saint Michael in 708, and that he installed and endowed twelve clerks to tend to it upon its completion the following year. The tradition is consistent with—but not, of course, independent of—the claim made in the community’s ninth-century foundation text,Revelatio, that these events took place when Childebert reigned over all the West, an attribution that would only fit Childebert III (695–711), who, unlike his earlier Merovingian namesakes, was king of all the Franks. Unfortunately, to place the origins of a religious house in the reign of a famous ruler (Childebert “the Just,” however modest the reality of his achievements) was a commonplace of hagiographic literature and must raise an element of doubt over the accuracy of the tradition, even though it does not contradict it. In the circumstances it would be unwise to seek to place Mons Tumba’s foundation within any closely defined political context. Aubert’s very existence is unknown apart from Mons Tumba’s own traditions. His name suggests that he
Annales De Bretagne Et Des Pays De L Ouest, Apr 22, 2016
En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand... more En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand des événements doit beaucoup à la plaidoirie de Katharine Keats-Rohan. Mais si nous voulons éviter d'ajouter davantage de strates aux mythes d'origine du XI e siècle, l'essentiel est d'examiner de près les contre-propositions des sceptiques modernes. Tel est l'objectif de cet article. Le clergé du Mont-Tombe Selon une tradition dont il n'y a aucune raison convaincante de douter, vers l'an 709, une communauté dotée de douze clercs fut installée sur l'île du Mont-Tombe-nom du Mont-Saint-Michel jusqu'à la deuxième moitié du X e siècle, et souvent plus tard-par Aubert, l'évêque d'Avranches, à 10 kilomètres environ à l'est, et donc en Neustrie, pour prendre en charge une église que celui-ci venait d'y construire en l'honneur de saint Michel. Au IX e siècle, le texte fondateur de la communauté, Revelatio ecclesiae sancti Michaelis, a distingué ces clerici de certains monachi qui, selon le texte, avaient habité le lieu dans une période antérieure 4. La fraternité d'Aubert a dû comprendre plusieurs catégories de clercs : certainement des prêtres, mais aussi quelques diacres et sous-diacres, des acolytes et des lecteurs, si bien que la communauté pouvait agir comme son propre séminaire, les membres du clergé progressant à travers les grades d'ordination au moyen d'une sorte de formation interne 5. Une telle 3. Ibidem, p. 326-327. GANDY, George, « Who built what at Mont Saint Michel during the 10 th Century? », Annales de Normandie, 65 (2015), p. 160-161. 4. Revelatio, III.2, VII.2. Toute allusion dans cet article à la Revelatio renvoie à l'édition critique par Pierre Bouet et Olivier Desbordes dans BOUET, Pierre et DESBORDES, Olivier (éd.), Chroniques latines du Mont Saint-Michel (IX e-XII e siècle), Caen, Presses Universitaires de Caen, 2009. Pour le texte, voir p. 90-103. 5. L'auteur a beaucoup appris en discutant des clercs et chanoines avec Julia Barrow. Cependant, le professeur Barrow n'a aucune responsabilité dans les propos présentés ici.
Annales de Normandie, 2015
Th e land also fell away steeply to the north of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, as is evident from the fa... more Th e land also fell away steeply to the north of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, as is evident from the fact that the fl oor level of the almonry which in the 11 th century was built hard up against the church on that side, was more than a metre below that within the church itself, even though pilgrims had to mount a fl ight of steps to access the almonry. 7 Sapin et al., p. 109-110. On the dating of Revelatio see most recently G. Gandy, « Retour sur la fondation… », op. cit. 8 Revelatio, V.1. : « Extruxit itaque fabricam non culmine subtilitatis celsam sed in modum cryptae rotundam, centum, ut aestimatur, hominum capacem, illius in monte Gargani volens exaequare formam. »
The American Historical Review, 1979
Houdaille Jacques. Scottish Population History from the 17th Century to the 1930s. In: Population... more Houdaille Jacques. Scottish Population History from the 17th Century to the 1930s. In: Population, 34ᵉ année, n°1, 1979. pp. 222-223
The American Historical Review, Feb 1, 1979
This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became e... more This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became extremely common during the early nineteenth century, subsequently declining sharply in frequency from around the 1840s to levels reminiscent of the preceding century. In the normal course of events a thesis within the field of socio-economic history will often evolve from the author having first selected a subject, then an approach to its study, and finally a location for implementing or testing his model. However in the present case the subject matter was virtually thrust at the author by his chance acquaintanceship with Culcheth's poor law papers the bulk of which, having been discovered in an attic, passed into his custody in 1965 to be dried out and sorted. The surprising volume of bastardy papers and account books led to a perusal of the parish registers and to the discovery of an illegitimacy ratio sometimes exceeding 30% of registered births. This was sufficiently odd to warra...
Annales de Normandie, 2015
Annales de Bretagne et des pays de l'Ouest
En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand... more En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand des événements doit beaucoup à la plaidoirie de Katharine Keats-Rohan. Mais si nous voulons éviter d'ajouter davantage de strates aux mythes d'origine du XI e siècle, l'essentiel est d'examiner de près les contre-propositions des sceptiques modernes. Tel est l'objectif de cet article. Le clergé du Mont-Tombe Selon une tradition dont il n'y a aucune raison convaincante de douter, vers l'an 709, une communauté dotée de douze clercs fut installée sur l'île du Mont-Tombe-nom du Mont-Saint-Michel jusqu'à la deuxième moitié du X e siècle, et souvent plus tard-par Aubert, l'évêque d'Avranches, à 10 kilomètres environ à l'est, et donc en Neustrie, pour prendre en charge une église que celui-ci venait d'y construire en l'honneur de saint Michel. Au IX e siècle, le texte fondateur de la communauté, Revelatio ecclesiae sancti Michaelis, a distingué ces clerici de certains monachi qui, selon le texte, avaient habité le lieu dans une période antérieure 4. La fraternité d'Aubert a dû comprendre plusieurs catégories de clercs : certainement des prêtres, mais aussi quelques diacres et sous-diacres, des acolytes et des lecteurs, si bien que la communauté pouvait agir comme son propre séminaire, les membres du clergé progressant à travers les grades d'ordination au moyen d'une sorte de formation interne 5. Une telle 3. Ibidem, p. 326-327. GANDY, George, « Who built what at Mont Saint Michel during the 10 th Century? », Annales de Normandie, 65 (2015), p. 160-161. 4. Revelatio, III.2, VII.2. Toute allusion dans cet article à la Revelatio renvoie à l'édition critique par Pierre Bouet et Olivier Desbordes dans BOUET, Pierre et DESBORDES, Olivier (éd.), Chroniques latines du Mont Saint-Michel (IX e-XII e siècle), Caen, Presses Universitaires de Caen, 2009. Pour le texte, voir p. 90-103. 5. L'auteur a beaucoup appris en discutant des clercs et chanoines avec Julia Barrow. Cependant, le professeur Barrow n'a aucune responsabilité dans les propos présentés ici.
Architectural History, 2023
One of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel occu... more One of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel occupies the summit of a prodigiously steep island site off the coast of Normandy in northern France. The church was built between 1023 and c. 1080–85. The monastic buildings, to the north of the church, were arranged vertically as much as horizontally, reflecting the
constraints of the site. They appear to have comprised three adjacent and interconnecting buildings, two of three storeys, the other of two. However, two of these three ranges were overbuilt in the early thirteenth century by an ambitious development which became known as the Merveille (c. 1212–28). This article seeks to identify the buildings that the Merveille
replaced and thus the entire complex as it existed in the twelfth century. This inevitably involves a certain amount of speculation and perhaps for this reason the complex has hitherto been largely ignored, important though it is for an understanding of the abbey’s early history. The article also discusses other building projects relevant to the monks, such as the cemetery, the twelfth-century Hôtellerie and the thirteenth-century infirmary and mortuary chapel, and analyses the genesis of the Merveille. Among the findings or propositions are that the monks’ cemetery was housed in what may once have been a ducal palace; that the abbey’s
cloister occupied the same position as it does today but was at a lower, mezzanine level an was smaller than the present cloister; that the chapter house and infirmary were probably adjacent to the west walk of the cloister; that the original provision for kitchen and cellar and for sleeping space was inadequate; and that the Merveille, which was the work of Abbot Raoul des Îles, was not entirely new-build as sometimes thought, but a transformation and redevelopment of buildings that already existed.
Medieval English Theatre, 2020
An analysis of two folios, found by chance during the nineteenth century, which record parts of f... more An analysis of two folios, found by chance during the nineteenth century, which record parts of four miracle plays, and the author's suggestions concerning how and when the original plays might have been performed at Mont Saint-Michel in the fourteenth century.
Dr Leonard Polonsky thesis digitisation, 1979
This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became e... more This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became extremely common during the early nineteenth century, subsequently declining sharply in frequency from around the 1840s to levels reminiscent of the preceding century. In the normal course of events a thesis within the field of socio-economic history will often evolve from the author having first selected a subject, then an approach to its study, and finally a location for implementing or testing his model. However in the present case the subject matter was virtually thrust at the author by his chance acquaintanceship with Culcheth's poor law papers the bulk of which, having been discovered in an attic, passed into his custody in 1965 to be dried out and sorted. The surprising volume of bastardy papers and account books led to a perusal of the parish registers and to the discovery of an illegitimacy ratio sometimes exceeding 30% of registered births. This was sufficiently odd to warrant further investigation, although four years elapsed before the author was in a position to embark on the task ... [see pdf file for full abstract].
Dans Annales de Normandie Annales de Normandie 2015/1 (65e année) 2015/1 (65e année), pages 153 à... more Dans Annales de Normandie Annales de Normandie 2015/1 (65e année) 2015/1 (65e année), pages 153 à 182 Éditions Association Les Annales de Normandie Association Les Annales de Normandie
Architectural History
ABSTRACTOne of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Mic... more ABSTRACTOne of the best-known monastic settlements of western Europe, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel occupies the summit of a prodigiously steep island site off the coast of Normandy in northern France. The church was built between 1023 and c. 1080–85. The monastic buildings, to the north of the church, were arranged vertically as much as horizontally, reflecting the constraints of the site. They appear to have comprised three adjacent and interconnecting buildings, two of three storeys, the other of two. However, two of these three ranges were overbuilt in the early thirteenth century by an ambitious development which became known as the Merveille (c. 1212–28). This article seeks to identify the buildings that the Merveille replaced and thus the entire complex as it existed in the twelfth century. This inevitably involves a certain amount of speculation and perhaps for this reason the complex has hitherto been largely ignored, important though it is for an understanding of the abbe...
Boydell UK eBooks, May 21, 2021
Speculum, 2020
The steep, tumulus-like, granite island of Mons Tumba, better known since the tenth century as Mo... more The steep, tumulus-like, granite island of Mons Tumba, better known since the tenth century as Mont Saint-Michel, is situated in northwest France in a marine bay that is bordered to the south by Brittany and to the east by Normandy. The island appears to have been continuously home to a religious community from the early eighth century until the French Revolution. There is no particular reason to doubt the tradition, which is reflected in the early twelfth-century annals composed at Mont Saint-Michel, that Bishop Aubert of nearby Avranches (in what was then Neustria but later became Normandy) commenced construction of the first church on the island to be dedicated to Saint Michael in 708, and that he installed and endowed twelve clerks to tend to it upon its completion the following year. The tradition is consistent with—but not, of course, independent of—the claim made in the community’s ninth-century foundation text,Revelatio, that these events took place when Childebert reigned over all the West, an attribution that would only fit Childebert III (695–711), who, unlike his earlier Merovingian namesakes, was king of all the Franks. Unfortunately, to place the origins of a religious house in the reign of a famous ruler (Childebert “the Just,” however modest the reality of his achievements) was a commonplace of hagiographic literature and must raise an element of doubt over the accuracy of the tradition, even though it does not contradict it. In the circumstances it would be unwise to seek to place Mons Tumba’s foundation within any closely defined political context. Aubert’s very existence is unknown apart from Mons Tumba’s own traditions. His name suggests that he
Annales De Bretagne Et Des Pays De L Ouest, Apr 22, 2016
En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand... more En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand des événements doit beaucoup à la plaidoirie de Katharine Keats-Rohan. Mais si nous voulons éviter d'ajouter davantage de strates aux mythes d'origine du XI e siècle, l'essentiel est d'examiner de près les contre-propositions des sceptiques modernes. Tel est l'objectif de cet article. Le clergé du Mont-Tombe Selon une tradition dont il n'y a aucune raison convaincante de douter, vers l'an 709, une communauté dotée de douze clercs fut installée sur l'île du Mont-Tombe-nom du Mont-Saint-Michel jusqu'à la deuxième moitié du X e siècle, et souvent plus tard-par Aubert, l'évêque d'Avranches, à 10 kilomètres environ à l'est, et donc en Neustrie, pour prendre en charge une église que celui-ci venait d'y construire en l'honneur de saint Michel. Au IX e siècle, le texte fondateur de la communauté, Revelatio ecclesiae sancti Michaelis, a distingué ces clerici de certains monachi qui, selon le texte, avaient habité le lieu dans une période antérieure 4. La fraternité d'Aubert a dû comprendre plusieurs catégories de clercs : certainement des prêtres, mais aussi quelques diacres et sous-diacres, des acolytes et des lecteurs, si bien que la communauté pouvait agir comme son propre séminaire, les membres du clergé progressant à travers les grades d'ordination au moyen d'une sorte de formation interne 5. Une telle 3. Ibidem, p. 326-327. GANDY, George, « Who built what at Mont Saint Michel during the 10 th Century? », Annales de Normandie, 65 (2015), p. 160-161. 4. Revelatio, III.2, VII.2. Toute allusion dans cet article à la Revelatio renvoie à l'édition critique par Pierre Bouet et Olivier Desbordes dans BOUET, Pierre et DESBORDES, Olivier (éd.), Chroniques latines du Mont Saint-Michel (IX e-XII e siècle), Caen, Presses Universitaires de Caen, 2009. Pour le texte, voir p. 90-103. 5. L'auteur a beaucoup appris en discutant des clercs et chanoines avec Julia Barrow. Cependant, le professeur Barrow n'a aucune responsabilité dans les propos présentés ici.
Annales de Normandie, 2015
Th e land also fell away steeply to the north of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, as is evident from the fa... more Th e land also fell away steeply to the north of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, as is evident from the fact that the fl oor level of the almonry which in the 11 th century was built hard up against the church on that side, was more than a metre below that within the church itself, even though pilgrims had to mount a fl ight of steps to access the almonry. 7 Sapin et al., p. 109-110. On the dating of Revelatio see most recently G. Gandy, « Retour sur la fondation… », op. cit. 8 Revelatio, V.1. : « Extruxit itaque fabricam non culmine subtilitatis celsam sed in modum cryptae rotundam, centum, ut aestimatur, hominum capacem, illius in monte Gargani volens exaequare formam. »
The American Historical Review, 1979
Houdaille Jacques. Scottish Population History from the 17th Century to the 1930s. In: Population... more Houdaille Jacques. Scottish Population History from the 17th Century to the 1930s. In: Population, 34ᵉ année, n°1, 1979. pp. 222-223
The American Historical Review, Feb 1, 1979
This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became e... more This is a study of illegitimacy in a rural industrial district in which the phenomenon became extremely common during the early nineteenth century, subsequently declining sharply in frequency from around the 1840s to levels reminiscent of the preceding century. In the normal course of events a thesis within the field of socio-economic history will often evolve from the author having first selected a subject, then an approach to its study, and finally a location for implementing or testing his model. However in the present case the subject matter was virtually thrust at the author by his chance acquaintanceship with Culcheth's poor law papers the bulk of which, having been discovered in an attic, passed into his custody in 1965 to be dried out and sorted. The surprising volume of bastardy papers and account books led to a perusal of the parish registers and to the discovery of an illegitimacy ratio sometimes exceeding 30% of registered births. This was sufficiently odd to warra...
Annales de Normandie, 2015
Annales de Bretagne et des pays de l'Ouest
En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand... more En ce qui concerne l'histoire du Mont-Saint-Michel, cet empressement à désavouer le récit normand des événements doit beaucoup à la plaidoirie de Katharine Keats-Rohan. Mais si nous voulons éviter d'ajouter davantage de strates aux mythes d'origine du XI e siècle, l'essentiel est d'examiner de près les contre-propositions des sceptiques modernes. Tel est l'objectif de cet article. Le clergé du Mont-Tombe Selon une tradition dont il n'y a aucune raison convaincante de douter, vers l'an 709, une communauté dotée de douze clercs fut installée sur l'île du Mont-Tombe-nom du Mont-Saint-Michel jusqu'à la deuxième moitié du X e siècle, et souvent plus tard-par Aubert, l'évêque d'Avranches, à 10 kilomètres environ à l'est, et donc en Neustrie, pour prendre en charge une église que celui-ci venait d'y construire en l'honneur de saint Michel. Au IX e siècle, le texte fondateur de la communauté, Revelatio ecclesiae sancti Michaelis, a distingué ces clerici de certains monachi qui, selon le texte, avaient habité le lieu dans une période antérieure 4. La fraternité d'Aubert a dû comprendre plusieurs catégories de clercs : certainement des prêtres, mais aussi quelques diacres et sous-diacres, des acolytes et des lecteurs, si bien que la communauté pouvait agir comme son propre séminaire, les membres du clergé progressant à travers les grades d'ordination au moyen d'une sorte de formation interne 5. Une telle 3. Ibidem, p. 326-327. GANDY, George, « Who built what at Mont Saint Michel during the 10 th Century? », Annales de Normandie, 65 (2015), p. 160-161. 4. Revelatio, III.2, VII.2. Toute allusion dans cet article à la Revelatio renvoie à l'édition critique par Pierre Bouet et Olivier Desbordes dans BOUET, Pierre et DESBORDES, Olivier (éd.), Chroniques latines du Mont Saint-Michel (IX e-XII e siècle), Caen, Presses Universitaires de Caen, 2009. Pour le texte, voir p. 90-103. 5. L'auteur a beaucoup appris en discutant des clercs et chanoines avec Julia Barrow. Cependant, le professeur Barrow n'a aucune responsabilité dans les propos présentés ici.