Core books relating to the history of Medieval Walsingham
Edmund Waterton, Pietas Mariana Britannica: A History of English Devotion to the Most Blessed
Virgin Mary Mother of God, with a Catalogue of Shrines, Sanctuaries, Offerings, Bequests, and Other
Memorials of the Piety of Our Forefathers. London 1879. Walsingham pp 155-220: click here to
view.
J C Dickinson, The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham (1956; reprinted 2011), chapters 1 to 3
('Historical') and chapters 4 to 6 ('Archaeological').
A Hope Patten, A CHRONICLE or notes on the Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham and its times.
Fr Patten published these notes in Our Lady's Mirror in instalments from Winter 1936 to Summer
1939. They cover the wider historical background from the foundation of the Shrine until 1471. He
had intended to continue his Chronicle, but wrote no more after the outbreak of war. Click here to
view.
Francis Blomefield, An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk (c1739)
the section on Great and Little Walsingham: Volume 9, pp 267-282. This book was well known to Fr
Patten, who made considerable use of it in his writings. Click here to view.
J Lee Warner, Walsingham Priory, An Account of Recent Discoveries. 1854. Click here to view.
Henry Harrod, Gleanings among the Castles and Convents of Norfolk. 1857. Pp 155-197 relate to
Walsingham. It can be obtained as a free e-book from Google Books at
https://tinuyurl.com/y4794j6x
Michael Rear, Walsingham: Pilgrims and Pilgrimage (2011; 2nd edn 2019)
a comprehensive history from the pre-Christian era to the present day, by an author uniquely placed
to write it. The second edition has much new material.
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also of medieval interest
Susan Signe Morrison, Women Pilgrims in Late Medieval England: Private Piety as Public
Performance (2000) Chapter 1 deals exclusively with Walsingham.
Eamon Duffy, A People’s Tragedy: Studies in Reformation (2020)
Of general interest, but Chapter 10, entitled ‘Walsingham: Reformation and Reconstruction’,
particularly summarizes the development of the Shrine from its medieval beginnings until today.
Bibliography