This book contains a selection of papers on the subject of women and religion, first delivered at a conference held at St Hilda's College, Oxford. Taking a variety of critical approaches, they illustrate clearly the wealth of previously untapped material on this topic, whether in archive, manuscript, or early printed source, using evidence from, for example, books collected by convents, and books left in wills both by, and for women. This volume examines writing by women, writing which excludes women, and writing which ignores them, as well as women readers, women patrons, and women who were read to. Archaeology, canon and civil law, and trial depositions are all represented. The common determinants of marital and social status are explored, as are the problems of women and language, women's various roles as creators, recipients, and objects, and women's positions with regard to the church.