The Life and Pilgrimages of Margery Kempe

By Victoria Miller

Some say a pilgrimage is more than just a journey, more than just returning home with souvenirs and narratives of the pilgrim's adventures. "A pilgrimage may be a rite of passage involving transformations of one's inner state and outer status; it may be a quest for a transcendental goal; it may entail the long desired healing of a physical or spiritual ailment." 1 Others say that a pilgrimage is an exhibition of popular devotion in a religion, emphasizing immediate contact with the divine rather than intellectualizing.2 From the time of the Classical Greeks to today, a religious pilgrimage means something different to everyone who has the opportunity to experience this encounter.

Many Jews, Muslims, and Christians have experienced the act of pilgrimage to Jerusalem over the years, as it is one of the most significant cities within these religions. While not ignoring Judaism and Islam, the Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem has also had a long history. "Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land began in earnest after the victory of Constantine over the pagan Licinius (324 C.E) in the eastern half of the Roman Empire. This united the eastern and western halves of the Mediterranean for the first time under a Christian monarch."3

The first known Christian pilgrim of whom an account has survived is that of Constantine's mother, the empress Helena, who visited the Holy Land in 326 C.E.4 Traveling to discover where the actual holy places mentioned in the Bible were located and to expiate the sins of the imperial family, Helena's journey was to have consequences for the history of the Holy Land; for her journey was the model for others.5 In a further attempt to spread Christianity throughout his empire, Constantine built a number of impressive basilicas throughout Jerusalem. It was here that he believed many of his subjects would visit to see the physical landscape of Biblical descriptions and to redeem sins.6

By the time of the Middle Ages, the act of the Christian pilgrimage had expanded beyond that of a visit to a sacred site. It had evolved into an act to provide social acceptance, cures and miracles, and perhaps most important, to gain indulgences for sins committed. The act of pilgrimage became so popular among Europeans that it eventually turned into what we would consider today a tourist industry. Guide books were written giving pilgrims directions and histories of different holy sights, prime attractions where one could stay the night, and where food was available for a weary traveler. Rates of money exchange and a few helpful statements in the foreign language were also included.7 "At numerous booths located near shrines, most pilgrims bought badges (the medieval version of bumper stickers) to wear as advertisements of the holy sites they had visited."8

"In the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century, more men than women appeared to go on a pilgrimage, and the practice was common among aristocrats, but over time, increasing numbers of women...began to visit holy sites."9

Margery Kempe, a mystic who lived in the fourteenth century was one of these women who traveled to Jerusalem on a religious pilgrimage. Although her quest was not one to gain social acceptance or to receive an indulgence, her journey was taken was for religious reasons. She truly considered herself a saint (although never officially recognized by the Church) and participated in two pilgrimages to become closer to God. Her trips encompassed travel to Jerusalem and the Holy sites of Europe, respectively. As was typical of "saints" in the Middle Ages, Kempe also recorded her biography, which described her spiritual adventures. Aspiring saints also believed that if they were to document their lives, God in exchange of their life spent in His service, would give grace to them. This theory, along with her recollection of God's orders was what inspired Margery to record her memoirs.10

This paper will examine the incredible life of Margery Kempe, detail her travel itinerary, and provide an exegesis regarding an important life-changing event for Margery, that of the birth of her first child and her subsequent struggle with insanity.

Little is known of Margery's early life, and only slightly more is known of her adulthood, because there is little evidence available outside her diary. She was born around 1373 in Bishops Lynn, England, the daughter of John Burnham, a five-time mayor, successful merchant, Justice of the Peace, Member of Parliament, and town coroner. Historians believe that Burnham might have been involved with the fleece trade at some point and might have been an alderman in the prestigious Guild of the Holy Trinity. Drawing its members from the affluent class, charging outrageous admission fees and working extensively with the poor and underprivileged, Burnham's guild was one of the most powerful in northern Europe at the time.11 Bishop's Lynn in the fourteenth century was a trading center for England, specializing in the salt trade for the eastern markets.12

Margery had an unusual childhood because even though a member of the aristocratic class, she was illiterate. Margery never mentions in her diary why she was not taught these basic instruments of survival. Females of her class were usually taught to read and taught simple mathematics, "just enough so that she might successfully manage a household of servants and its accounts."13 This had profound impact later in life when she had to dictate her life's adventures to scribes who recorded her journal.14 Her only known education consisted of lessons in household management and polite behavior.

Early in her life, Margery committed a "secret sin" which she never mentions in detail. "What this unmentionable sin was, she doesn't tell us, but we can guess from the evidence of other parts of her story it was sexual in nature."15 This sin so racked her life that she was afraid even to confess to a priest, for at that time, she preferred to go to hell rather than confess in words aloud in the open where people might overhear.16

Margery was married in 1393 or 1394 at the age of 20 to John Kempe, a successful merchant, member of the House of Burgess, and public official. John Kempe appeared to also be in his twenties and "have an affectionate and charming nature."17 This was most likely an arranged marriage, as many young wealthy ladies of the time were married off to maintain or improve the social position of their families. She eventually bore him 14 children.

Margery wrote of her husband John very little in her journal. She never mentions his craft or trade, but historians have discovered that his father and brother are listed in census records as "skinners", so he probably was also involved in the tannery business. Other census records list Kempe as a brewer.18 The Kempe family belonged to the guild of Corpus Christi, a guild usually associated with the middle class merchants.19

Some months before and immediately after the birth of Margery and John's first child, Margery was distraught with life. The lack of healthy and safe birthing practices and extreme discomfort (for anesthetics of this nature were virtually unheard of) caused many women of the fourteenth century to go insane. This is what many historians believe happened to Margery. The intense disturbance during the labor associated with her first child led Margery to fear death, and she called for a priest again to confess her "secret sin." After hours of trying to reveal her sin, she was unable to mouth the words and the priest became very upset with her. In a guilt-ridden response, Margery blasphemed, attempted to jump out of the window, and struck at all those who approached.20

In response, John Kempe locked her in a storeroom for the next eight months until she became sane again. Because of the deep depression, Margery attempted to commit suicide by biting through her wrists, leaving her permanent scars. Fearing for her safety, John responded to her suicide attempt by chaining her to the bed. One day while locked away, Margery looked up from her chains and saw Jesus Christ sitting on the end of the bed. Her everyday chat with Jesus caused a total transformation in Margery's condition. She became calm, was untied from her bed and allowed carrying on normal relations within her household. She plunged back into the real world and made friends again outside her home.21

Margery's transformation allowed her to buy all new clothes, and she soon became the town's seamstress and dressmaker. Some time later, Margery went into the brewing business, and for two or three years, was the largest beer maker in town. A woman owning her own businesses to supplement the family income during this time was not rare. Moreover, few trades were entirely closed to females by law. "Many cities also relaxed laws prohibiting women from participating in judicial proceedings and business women could transact legal contracts and recover debts."22 To guard the interests of its community members and to protect the public from low quality products, communities of women workers set up guilds.

There is no mention in Margery Kempe's diary if she herself belonged to a guild, but it might have been possible. A brewer was a highly regarded profession for women, and her writings reveal that during this period, she was very interested in social acceptance of the residents of Lynn. Thus, she might have belonged to a guild because of social peer pressure. Several times in her diary, Margery refers to wanting to belong socially, and this might have been an example of her desire to "fit in." Other examples of this desire include her extravagant spending on expensive clothing and longing to befriend several residents at this time.23

Soon after, Margery's brewery business declined, and she formed a horse milling company, which also failed. This failure represented for Margery humiliation. Through an intense period of self-analysis, Margery discovered that the one thing she did well was to worship God, and she decided to put all her efforts into this task.24

During fourteenth century, serious devotion to God meant chastity, and Margery suggested to her husband that they start sleeping apart. John dismissed this suggestion, and replied that they might practice it some day. One night, his advances were abruptly halted, and Margery saw this as a sign from God to become totally devoted to His service.

Never one to take what she believed was a sign from God as a joke, Margery traveled to the Church diocese at Lincoln soon after this occurred and asked for permission to wear white once again. The purpose of this was to show that she was not having sexual relations with her husband, but was in a sense, "married" to God. Her friends said that she was a hypocrite to wear white after marriage. That she wanted to go so far to get permission to do so was almost unthinkable and raised questions about her sanity even more.25 Margery sought refuge in another direction, that of the Church. The canon law at the time said if one partner of the marriage wanted celibacy, acceptance from the Church would not be granted until the other partner consented.

Margery began attending church more and more regularly, often participating in daylong fasts and intense prayer. Her chats with God became increasingly frequent and she began intense crying spells and moaning during church services. Margery's actions caused controversy among the residents of Lynn and gossip started to flow. On one hand, they thought of her as a totally devoted and spiritual woman, on the other hand, they saw her as a "crazy old woman."

A few years later, John Burnham, Margery's father, died and left her a large inheritance. At the time, John Kempe was deeply in debt as his business was failing, and Margery agreed to pay off his debts. In exchange, he agreed to Margery's idea of complete chastity and freedom.26

In 1413, Margery began her pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which was to encompass the next two years of her life. In 1415, pressures in Lynn involving accusations of heresy and fraud led her on a second religious pilgrimage around England visiting the holy sights and getting documentation of her legitimacy as a saint and mystic.

Margery and John spent their later years traveling around England from trial to trial, defending her from accusations of heresy. John Kempe died in 1431, and Margery never talks of him in her journal again. Between 1431 and 1436, when in her mid 60's, Margery described her adventures to two scribes who faithfully transcribed her journal. She commissioned the two scribes to record her travels more than 15 years after her return home because she was illiterate. The first scribe, never named in the work, probably came from England but spent much of his life in Germany. He was most likely a friend of one of her sons. Margery describes this scribe as very lazy, a poor penman and an even worse grammarian. He finished about two-thirds of her biography before he died suddenly.27

The second scribe who worked on her biography was also an Englishman, probably one of her confessors to whom she could entrust her most intimate secrets. Throughout the task of recording her journal, this scribe had the arduous task of deciphering the first scribe's confusing half-English, half-German script. During this task, Margery was not always the most enjoyable co-worker. When describing her visions, she was liable to go off into a trance and remain in it for hours, dictation interrupted until she came around. In addition to this, Margery and the scribe muddled through the first few chapters, because although she could remember people, events, and places, she often would confuse dates and the order in which events occurred.28

In 1436, after two years work, the scribe finished the biography of Margery Kempe, and it became very popular in and around England. During the sixteenth century, a pamphlet form of her travels appeared. Later, the original manuscript was forgotten and not recovered until 1934 when it was found at Mount Grace Monastery in Yorkshire.29

Published immediately, the journal has been translated in many languages and many more editions are widely available around the world. The journal still survives to this day as one of the most accurate and detailed accounts of a medieval pilgrimage. Considered the first autobiography written in English, the journal details the extraordinary story of a unique and eccentric woman.

"The Book of Margery Kempe combines elements of both the hagriographical and mystical genres. [Here] Margery revealed her mystic experiences, testified to the intensity of her spirituality, and demonstrated her devotion to God. She not only looked inside herself; she also related intimate details of her life, her travels, and her search for understanding and salvation."30

The last recorded proof of Margery's existence was around 1438, at age 65. Historians have mixed views of her whereabouts after this date. Some believe that she died, never totally documented as a mystic or a saint, and others believe that she carried out her days (though no years are mentioned) in a monastery or convent in England.31

As mentioned previously, Margery began her pilgrimage to Jerusalem from her hometown of King's Lynn in the autumn of 1413. Several months before her decision, Margery traveled to Lincoln and to Canturbury seeking spiritual guidance from God and permission to separate from her husband and travel such a long distance. She bought a pilgrimage outfit consisting of, among other things, "a long gray robe with a hood, a broad brimmed hat marked with a red cross, a small satchel for carrying special items, a water bottle, and a long staff to assist her in rough terrain."32 She departed from a ship at Yarmouth, probably travelling the short distance from Lynn by foot. At Yarmouth, Margery booked passage along with a small travel group of other pilgrims.

The group sailed from Yarmouth to the Netherlands and German Empire, following the Rhine Valley. While on this part of the trip, Margery started showing signs of emotional outburst thanking God for the safe sea passage. Her fellow companions at this point started becoming annoyed with her, their intense dislike for Margery's antics continued for the remainder of the trip. The group then traveled south to Venice, staying for 13 weeks while they waited to board a ship to take them to the Holy Land. The group then traveled southwards along the Dalmatian Coast, west through the Greek Archipelago, Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus, and arrived in Joffa, the port city of Jerusalem, about a month later.33

Beginning in 1096 and continuing through the twelfth century, fighting in a series of crusades in the area that we now consider the Holy Land, brought it under Christian control. In 1187, Muslims under the leadership of Saladin invaded the Christian states in the area. Consequently, the Christians would only occupy a small portion of the Holy Land for the next two centuries. In the fifteenth century, the rulers of the Holy Land were the Malmuk sultans of Egypt. Ever since the beginning of the eleventh century, bandits continually harassed Christian pilgrims because of unfavorable conditions in the area. Famine, drought, and the dreaded Black Plague were all blamed on travelers coming to the area. In the aftermath of the Crusades, high taxes, high prices, and bitter poverty overcame the region.34 Although conditions were poor in Jerusalem, the Malmuks used the fourteenth century fad of pilgrimages to full advantage.

"Finding such a valuable property, the Malmuks organized its exploitation systematically...from the moment the pilgrims disembarked at Jaffa from the Venetian galleys, their board and lodging, outings, tours, guides, devotions and whole timetable were strictly arranged..."35

Margery never revealed the conditions or how long she stayed in Jerusalem. Since boat passage was only taken twice a year, one can conclude that she stayed in Jerusalem about six months. The return voyage to Europe was of the same route, docking in Venice. Taking up a male escort, Margery was determined to travel on to Rome. Margery left her travel companions, set out on foot from Venice to Chioggia southwards through Ravenna and Rimini to Pesarro, then inland over the mountains to Assisi, and finally reached Rome in the summer of 1415.36

In April of 1415, Margery decided to travel back to England. She does not include her travel route, but one can conclude it was the reverse route. She arrived safely in Lynn in the fall of 1415.37

After several months at home, Margery felt compelled again to travel on a second pilgrimage. This could be because the residents of Lynn had become frustrated with Margery's antics and boredom after hearing of her sightings and visions. They had watched her antics for twenty years. She was an old and boring joke. Who would take her for rich John Burnham's daughter? She had sunk right down the social scale. What type of wife and mother had she been?...it was dangerous to have to do with her."38

Another reason for her second pilgrimage may have been that Margery was not completely satisfied with her first pilgrimage, feeling that her "secret sin" was not totally forgiven. By visiting these shrines, she hoped that before a crowd of onlookers, God would mark her with some unmistakable sign of His grace. Friends who wanted her to pray for their sins at the holy sights funded her on the journey. Margery managed to travel to many holy places in Europe such as St. James' shrine at Compostella, the Abbey of Hailes in Gloucestershire, Leichester, York, Beverley, and finally returned home to Lynn in 1417.39

Women of the Middle Ages sometimes had more in their lives than just the role of wife and mother, as Margery Kempe clearly shows us. The typical woman of the fourteenth century was, among other tasks, in charge of the supervision of the household or manorial properties, fabric-making, cooking, cleaning, and most important, the raising of children.

As mentioned above, after the birth of the Kempe's first child, Margery became overwhelmed with depression and a suicide attempt followed. Several scholars have looked into the different causes of Margery's madness, but the most sound of these theories has been the practice of the medieval childbirth. Such a life-changing event as giving birth to children and the resulting depression totally changed Margery's life. It led to intense devotion to God and her decision to make the dangerous journey to Jerusalem and around Europe. The nature of Margery's first experience with childbirth is an all-important one; it was this event that gave us one of history's greatest accounts of a medieval pilgrimage. Had it not been for Margery's first child, there may not have been her account of mental illness, and thus, she would not have traveled on her great journey to Jerusalem.

During the fourteenth century, the actual pain and discomfort of childbirth was regarded as the "Curse of Eve," as no attention was paid to the agony or the possibility of complications. Since it was considered a woman's natural right to produce offspring, few physicians provided remedies for labor pain.40 Furthermore, suggestion of gynecology, obstetrics, and pain relievers "was evidence of a sick mind. As a consequence, many women died in childbirth, and many more [like Margery Kempe] went mad."41

According to folklore of the time, if the woman survived the childbearing period, there was a great chance that she would outlive her husband. Childbirth could be a time of great joy or great sorrow. Mortality rates for both mother and child were extremely high, about 50-60% of children dying before the age of five.42 One of the major reasons for high mortality rates historians believe was due to the early age girls were married and bore children. Thus, historians have concluded that girls who married at age 12 or 13, which was quite common, did not have the full physical development required to carry a child and put their bodies through extra stress while giving birth. Inadequate nutrition, poor hygiene, and few medical and scientific aides also contributed to the problem.43

Although Margery Kempe married much later at the age of twenty and had an adequate diet, the stress of childbirth was still an interference, however, Margery makes no reference to how many of her children died before reaching adulthood.

To understand why so many women succumbed to insanity during or immediately after childbirth, one must know of medieval birthing practices in general. Peasant women received help from friends or neighbors during delivery, and others relied on their husbands. Midwives or other female relatives assisted those women of the aristocratic class, such as Margery. There were no obstetrical instruments and no anesthesia. If the pelvic opening was too small for the child's head, nothing could be done. Cesarean sections were only performed if the child or mother was dead.44

Arranged marriages among the aristocrats were performed for improving of the social status of the family. After marriage, the wife would almost immediately become pregnant, as people of the time felt that the family that included several children would prosper in society. However, ironically, the greatest difficulty in achieving the high social status for women during the fourteenth century was that of childbirth.45 Ladies were expected to marry, and if she did not marry by her mid twenties, she was sent to a convent, thus, symbolizing her marriage to God.46

When the labor process began, the bedchamber lights were dimmed, for bright lighting conditions were thought to harm the infant's delicate eyes. The bed linens were changed to the best the family could afford. Servants or friends were then told to open all the cupboards, drawers, and windows in the house and untie all the knots for superstitious reasons. This was to wish luck for the birth for a healthy and happy baby. A soothsayer, if available, would be asked to whisper magical words into the mother's ear, but the Church frowned on this practice.47 The husband was given the job of praying to God for the safety of the child and mother. Finally, a friend or midwife would prepare a warm bath for the infant, "designed to ease the transition form the womb into the world."48

After the birth, the midwife cut the umbilical cord at the length of four fingers. The child was rubbed with salt, and the palate of the gums of the child was cleansed with honey, "to give him an appetite."49 Afterwards, "the infant was wrapped in swaddling clothes--long cloths wrapped around the body and secured with crisscross bands. Swaddling not only helped keep the child warm but also forced the limbs to grow straight."50

"Unless work prevented it, peasants and artisans nursed their own babies, but wealthy mothers hired other women to serve as wet nurses."51

While modern scholars blame the actual birthing ritual of the Middle Ages and unsafe delivery practices for female illness, other reasons were addressed in the Middle Ages. Hysteria, considered a female problem on the fringes of insanity, was thought to be a result of the physical stress caused by "the wandering womb." Thus, physicians at the time believed that the lack of sexual activity caused dammed up sexual secretions, and poisoned the entire body and mind. Other physicians believed the poisoned secretions corrupted the blood and irritated the nerves.52

Other mental and emotional problems were associated with childbirth and the reproductive organs. The two true mental illnesses were thought to be mania (wild behavior and rage) and melancholia (deep depression.) Again, physicians of the time thought that these "love madness'" were caused by dammed up sexual secretions or an unhealthy obsession for a loved one.53

Historians have discovered that the peasantry suffered more than any other class from these female ills, often banned from the communities from which they lived because of superstition and possibly infecting others. Groups of mentally ill women often wandered the forests and a sending out of a "ship of fools" to rid the town of saturation of the mentally ill soon followed. Herbal remedies, prayer, physiotherapy, psychoanalysis and music therapy were also treatments for the mentally unstable.54

Interesting enough, though childbirth was such a large part of a woman's life, Margery Kempe makes little if any mention of her fourteen children in her diary. The only mention of any of her children is in the second of her journals, when she mentions that one of her sons had not taken her advice and continued to frolic with the ladies and prostitutes of Bishops Lynn. Sickness soon fell upon him, possibly having contracted syphilis. His distorted face caused him shunning from the community, and Margery makes brief mention of his condition and his death a few months later.55

There is no actual documentation in Margery's diary if the physicians of Lynn documented her as insane or not, but she refers to the townspeople not accepting of her obsessive religious interest. Furthermore, some historians have looked at Margery's insatiable crying spells as a possible symptom for the insanity she might have gone through after the birth of her first child. If such activities were to happen in today's society under such circumstances, one might look upon the weeper as a devout Christian. The moaning and severe weeping Margery experienced during the fifteenth centuries was thought of as more than a devout act to serve God, but that there were severe mental problems that needed to be addressed.

Because of the several lengthy passages and entire chapters Margery devoted to her crying spells, we should not ignore the fact that this was a spiritual activity. This activity consumed her life, to the point that friends shunned her during her first journey, and raised several eyebrows within her surroundings of Lynn.56

Overall, one can say that Christian mystics open our eyes to a world beyond this one. Many, like Margery Kempe, find peace somewhere between the material earth and the spiritual world. Through steadfast prayer and sacraments, many believe that they witness a Supreme Being unlike any seen on earth. As mentioned in the introduction above, the ultimate goal of a pilgrim may be to achieve that rite of passage involving the transformation of an inner state and outer status. For others, it may to emphasize immediate contact with the divine rather than through intellectualizing.

Each pilgrim's story is uniquely his or hers, as shown by the remarkable biography of Margery Kempe. Margery Kempe was a private woman on the inside, but tended to show her intense devotion to God through public outcries. She found what she believed to be inner peace through her everyday chats with God and traveled on an incredible quest for respect as a mystic and saint. As a woman who broke through the stereotypes of a "typical" woman of the Middle Ages, Margery left a husband and fourteen children in England while she achieved her dream to visit the holy sights of Jerusalem and Europe. By traveling to these sights, Margery reached that transcendental goal to become closer to God. Although never formally recognized as the "saint" that she believed she had become through her devotion to God, she did become a true pilgrim.

1 Simon Coleman and John Elsner. Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995), 6. 

2 . Ibid., 6.

3 Ibid., 80.

4 Coleman and Elsner. Pilgrimage: Past and Present in World Religions, 78.

5 Ibid., 79.

6 Ibid., 78.

7 What Life Was Like in Age of Chivalry: Medieval Europe 800-1500. (Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1997), 34.

8 Marty Williams and Anne Echols. Between Pit and Pedestal: Women in the Middle Ages. (Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 1994), 111.

9 Coleman and Elsner. Pilgrimage: Past and Present in World Religions, 108.

10 Louise Collis. Memoirs of a Medieval Woman: The Life and Times of Margery Kempe, (New York: Harper & Row, 1964), 249.

11 Margaret Gallyon. Margery Kempe of Lynn and Medieval England, (Norwich: Canturbury Press, 1995), 39-41.

12 Ibid., 64.

13 What Life was Like in the Age of Chivalry, 118.

14 Andrea Tritton. "The Book of Margery Kempe." [wsysiwig://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/garden/4594/margery.html] 1998.

15 Andrea Hopkins. Most Wise and Valliant Ladies. (London: Collins and Brown, Ltd, 1997), 62.

 16 Collis, Memoirs of a Medieval Woman, 9-10.

17 Ibid., 13.

18 Gallyon, Margery Kempe of Lynn and Medieval England, 41.

19 Ibid., 42.

20 John Skinner. The Book of Margery Kempe. (New York: Doubleday Books, 1998), 26.

21 Ibid., 26-30.

22 Williams and Echols, Pit to Pedestal, 53.

23 Collis, Memoirs of a Medieval Woman, 15.

24 Ibid., 15-6.

25 Ibid., 17-8.

26 Collis, Memoirs of a Medieval Woman, 35-6.

27 Ibid., 250

28 Ibid., 250-55.

29 Collis, Memoirs of a Medieval Woman, 249-58.

30 Williams and Echols, Between Pit and Pedestal, 226.

31 Gallyon, Margery Kempe of Lynn and Medieval England, 59.

32 Collis, Memoirs of a Medieval Woman, 53.

33 Ibid., 76.

34Klein, Mina C. and H. Arthur Klein, Israel: Land of the Jews, (New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, 1972), 165.

 35 Collis, Memoirs of a Medieval Woman, 52.

36 Ibid., 152

37 Ibid., 164.

38 Collis, Memoirs of a Medieval Woman, 176.

39 Ibid., 176-227.

40 Williams and Echols, Pit to Pedestal, 41.

41 Lynn Nelson. [http://www.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/margery.html] 1997.

 42 What Life was Like in the Age of Chivalry, 115.

 43 Williams and Echols, Pit to Pedestal, 41.

44 Gies, Life in a Medieval City, 58.

45 Ibid., 58.

46 Williams and Echols, From Pit to Pedestal, 70.

47 Gies, Life in a Medieval City, 60.

48 What Life was Like in the Age of Chivalry, 114.

49 Gies, Life in a Medieval City, 61.

50 What Life was Like in the Age of Chivalry, 114.

51 Ibid., 114.

52 Williams and Echol. Pit to Pedestal, 40.

53 Ibid., 40.

 54 Ibid., 41.

 55 Skinner, The Book of Margery Kempe, 301-03.

56 Gallyon, Margery Kempe of Lynn and Medieval England, 27.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

PRIMARY SOURCES

Collis, Louise. Memoirs of a Medieval Woman: The Life and Times of Margery Kempe. New York: Harper and Row. 1964.

This book by Louise Collis provides the biography of Margery Kempe through interpretation of her journal written more than 600 years ago. Collis also gives accurate and helpful background of medieval England in layman's terms during the time Margery lived.

Skinner, John. The Book of Margery Kempe. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Company. 1998.

This book is a modern translation of Margery Kempe's original diary, with an extensive preface giving general information about the fourteenth century English life, and a brief biography of Kempe.

Triggs, Tony D. The Book of Margery Kempe: The Autobiography of the Madwoman of God. Ligouri, Missouri: Triumph Books. 1995.

This book is also a modern translation of Margery Kempe's original diary, with an extensive preface and a brief biography of Kempe. An excellent map of her travels and "for further reading" section are included.

SECONDARY SOURCES

Coleman, Simon and John Elsner. Pilgrimage Past and Present in World Religions. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1995.

This book provides an overview of different world religions including Christianity, Judiasm, and Islam, from ancient times to the present day. Theories why pilgrims make their journey are also included.

Gallyon, Margaret. Margery Kempe of Lynn and Medieval England. Norwich: The Canturbury Press. 1995.

This excellent, concise, and accurate biography of Margery Kempe is unusual in that it focuses on introducing the reader to the spiritual encounters of her life, her hometown of Lynn, fifteenth century English clergy, Kempe's vows and reasons of chastity, her pilgrimages, and her lack of conformity to the role of typical medieval woman are all discussed.

Gies, Joseph and Frances Gies. Life in a Medieval City. New York: Harper Collins, 1969.

This general work evokes aspects of medieval city life between the 12th and 15th centuries including the Church, medieval medicine and its practices, business, trade and mercantilism, and medieval family life.

Heer, Friedrich. The medieval World: Europe 1100-1350. Cleavland: The World Publishing Company. 1961.

Heer's work is a vast overview of Medieval Europe from 1100-1350. Topics include popular religion, art, architecture, the Crusades, and role of relations between the peasant and aristocratic classes.

Holmes, George. The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1988.

This encyclopedic work concentrating on the years 400-1500 includes such topics as political invovlement's of northern Europe and the Mediterranean, spritual reform, papacy, and the Church, the Crusades, the development of trade and mercantilism, transformation fo communities in Europe from fuedal to city relations, and the Hundred Years' War.

Hopkins, Andrea. Most Wise and Valliant Ladies. London: Collins and Brown, Ltd. 1997.

This book retells the biographies of six medieval women including Margery Kempe, Joan of Arc, and Hildegard of Bingen. Several full color photos and illustrations are included.

Jones, Jim. "Study Aids for Margery Kempe." http://www.courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his101/31kempe.htm. 1997.

This website provides a brief overview of Margery Kempe's life, but also includes a useful timeline of her life.

Kane, Julia. "Margery Kempe" http://www.kings.edu/~wmhist/margerykempe.html. 1998.

This website includes a brief overview of Margery Kempe's life, but also includes an extensive bibliography for further research.

Klein, Mina and H Arthur Klein. Israel: Land of the Jews. New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1972.

The Klein's book gives an overview of the history and events of the Holy Land from Biblical times to the near present. An excellent bibliography and several maps are included within the work.

Locherie, Karma. Margery Kempe and the Translations of the Flesh. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 1991.

This revolutionary book is the first full-length feminist treatment of Margery Kempe's life. Locherie begins with the theory of the body in medieval theology, emphasizing that Kempe exploited the gendered ideologies of flesh throughout various parts of the diary.

McKissack, May. The Fourteenth Century: 1307-1399. The Oxford History of England Series. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1966.

This book attempts to review the history of fourteenth-century England discussing in particular the political crisises of the reigns of Edward II, Edward III, and Richard III. It also examines the origins of the Hundred Years War, and the impact of the War on society. Fluctuations of trade and industry guilds, and Anglo-Papal relations are also included.

Nelson, Lynn H. "Background on the Life of Margery Kempe." http://www.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/margery.html. 1997.

This website provides an extensive overview of the life of Margery Kempe including history of the text, her birth and youth, young adulthood, and a brief travel itenarary.

Quennell, Marjorie. A History of Everyday Things in England: 1066-1799. New York: Charles Scriber and Sons. 1922.

This book gives a general overview of life in medieval England focusing on the twelfth through fifteenth centuries. Subjects include costume of the period, ships, housing and architecture, amusements, everyday people and class relations. Excellent illustrations are included within the work.

What Life Was Like in the Age of Chivalry: Medieval Europe 800-1500. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books. 1997.

This is an assortment of different facets of medieval life, with chapters devoted to the Church, pilgrimages, class relations, the Crusades, manor life, and townships. Several color photos and illustrations are included in this work.

Williams, Marty and Anne Echols. Between Pit and Pedestal: Women in the Middle Ages. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers. 1994.

A scholarly history of different facets of women in the Middle Ages including the woman's role in the home and in the Church, women writers, and class structure.