Michael Spence, The Late Medieval Cistercian Monastery of Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire. Monastic Administration, Economy, and Archival Memory. (Medieval Monastic Studies, Vol. 5.) Turnhout, Brepols 2020

A comprehensive analysis of Fountains Abbey, a late medieval Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, reveals intricate details about its monastic administration, economic practices, and archival memory. The study, led by Michael Spence, employs a multidisciplinary approach combining archival research with historical and archaeological evidence to reconstruct the monastery's operations during its peak period (12th–16th centuries). Key findings highlight the Abbey's sophisticated land management systems, its role in regional trade networks, and the preservation of its administrative records, which offer unprecedented insights into Cistercian monastic life. Published in Medieval Monastic Studies (Vol. 5) and reviewed in Historische Zeitschrift, this work significantly advances understanding of medieval monastic economies and their enduring archival legacies.

Seggern, H. v. (2022). Michael Spence, The Late Medieval Cistercian Monastery of Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire. Monastic Administration, Economy, and Archival Memory. (Medieval Monastic Studies, Vol. 5.) Turnhout, Brepols 2020. Historische Zeitschrift, 314(2), 485–486. https://doi.org/10.1515/hzhz-2022-1133