The Powers That Be: Viking and Ecclesiastical Interactions in the Irish Sea Area from the Ninth to Eleventh Centuries

Ramsey-Brimberg, Danica (2021) The Powers That Be: Viking and Ecclesiastical Interactions in the Irish Sea Area from the Ninth to Eleventh Centuries. PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

This dissertation assesses the relationship between clerics and Scandinavian-influenced laity in the Irish Sea area through the placement of furnished graves at or near ecclesiastical sites in the ninth to the eleventh centuries. Negotiations were made between both parties to establish power, wealth, and status, amid a backdrop of political upheaval. Other areas of funerary studies have moved beyond a dichotomy of Christianity and paganism and into an acknowledgement of there being multifaceted practices. Yet, statements regarding Viking Age furnished graves in or near ecclesiastical sites are still not as pervasively open to this line of thinking. To bridge this gap in the field, the thesis first delves into the context of burial practices through the study of lay laws, ecclesiastical laws, letters, charters, wills, homilies, poems, and supporting archaeological evidence. Then, each area – eastern (southwest Scotland and northwest England), central (Isle of Man), and western (Ireland and Northern Ireland) – is described in detail using sources from numerous disciplines, including archaeology, texts, place-names, sculpture, linguistics, and geography. Each ecclesiastical site and furnished grave is examined to understand the potential context into which the furnished grave was placed and to appraise the relationship between the furnished grave and the other graves and features of the ecclesiastical site. The characteristics of the furnished graves and the ecclesiastical sites are analysed and assessed to identify any trends across the Irish Sea regions and any unique circumstances that led to local variances. Viking Age furnished graves can be seen as an acceptable variation among an array of burial practices, and the relationship between the clergy and laity is far more complex and closely tied than has been portrayed. Rather than being passive participants in the burial process dictated by their superiors, local clergy and laity became their own powers that be in determining what was acceptable and how to bury the dead.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	08 Feb 2022 15:18
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 21:33
DOI:	10.17638/03133390
Supervisors:	Downham, Clare Costambeys, Marios
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3133390