Signs of Devotion: The Cult of St. Æthelthryth in Medieval England, 695-1615 (review)

Parergon 26.1 (2009) All in all, the papers make up a rich tapestry. The editorial attempt to group the contributions under four headings was worthwhile, but none of them fit comfortably in any box. A lot of the interest in the volume comes from the raw angularity of the findings, the multiplicity of connections, and the subtlety and complexity of the picture that takes shape. The editors, Helen Barr and Ann Hutchinson, and the publisher, Brepols, have served scholarship well. But honour and gratitude are most due to Anne Hudson. As the last stanza of Rigg’s encomium puts it: Pro multis laboribus, post tam longum bellum, Tibi preparavimus sapidem morsellum Partibus durissimum, partibus tenellum Oramus, accipias hunc parvum libellum!