A Feodary Of Glastonbury Abbey

A Feodary of Glastonbury Abbey Please Note The Records Are In Latin

Unlock the Door to Your Medieval Lineage: Discover Your Ancestors in the Shadow of England's Legendary Abbey

Step back in time to an era of chivalry, faith, and feudal loyalty. Before parish registers, before censuses, the story of your family was written in the land itself. Now, you can hold a key to that forgotten world with A Feodary of Glastonbury Abbey.

This isn't just a book; it's a direct link to the lives of your medieval ancestors who lived, worked, and held land under the authority of one of the wealthiest and most powerful religious institutions in medieval England.

What is a Feodary? And Why is it a Genealogist's Goldmine?
A feodary is the foundational blueprint of the feudal system. It is a formal record, commissioned by the lord of a great estate (in this case, the Abbot of Glastonbury), detailing every knight who held land from him. For each entry, it meticulously records:

The Name of the Tenant-in-Chief: The knight or free tenant who owed service.
The Land Held: The specific manor, hamlet, or parcel of land.
The Service Owed: The feudal obligation, typically military service, owed to the Abbey.
For the genealogist, this is more than a dry legal document. It is a snapshot of society, connecting names to places and establishing the intricate web of loyalty and obligation that defined medieval life.

Why This Feodary is Essential for Your Research
If your family history has roots in Somerset, Dorset, or the wider West Country, this document is indispensable. It allows you to:

Pinpoint Your Ancestor's Location: Place your family name on the map, often centuries before other records begin. Discover the exact manor or village your ancestors called home.
Establish Social Standing and Allegiance: Learn if your ancestors were knights of the realm, prominent free tenants, or yeomen holding land from a powerful overlord. Their connection to Glastonbury Abbey places them within a significant historical context.

Break Through the "Parish Record Barrier": This feodary is a vital resource for tracing lineages in the 14th and 15th centuries, a period notoriously difficult for genealogical research.
Identify Potential Family Relationships: The inheritance of land and knight's fees often passed from father to son. By tracking the same landholding across different feodaries, you can build powerful evidence for family lines.
Understand Your Ancestors' World: Gain insight into the daily realities of their lives—their duties, their status, and their connection to the legendary spiritual heart of the region.