The rich, diverse cultural traditions of the Medieval West have attracted much attention from researchers, but for the most part they have been the subject of discrete studies. The aim of this project is to engender an integrated approach, examining its themes from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and within the context of the region as a whole.
The culture of the West Country in the Middle Ages and its role in shaping the identity of Medieval England is the focus of a new research project at the University of Bristol. The project aims to bring together researchers from across the region to initiate a re-examination of the Medieval West encompassing its legends, literature and learning, architecture, church communities, and role as a frontier between the English polity and Wales, Ireland and the wider world. The West Country - the region extending westward from Salisbury Plain to the Severn Basin, the Wye Valley and the coastlines of Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall - played a critical role in the making of medieval England. Within these landscapes were formed the legends of Arthur and Joseph of Arimathea which became the corner-stones of national identity. The sacred places of the region - Glastonbury, Hailes, Hereford, St Michael's Mount ' were among the earliest and most enduring in English Christianity and the clerical communities connected with them were a constant source of ecclesiastical leadership and spiritual inspiration. The Benedictine, Cluniac and Cistercian monastic movements in Britain each began in the west. The region also generated an early and energetic tradition of learning and literature.
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