The history of spiritual kinship in pre-industrial Europe is a virtually uncharted field. In view of its importance in many contemporary southern European and Latin American communities, it has been assumed that its role in western society in earlier times was even more significant. Unfortunately the bonds established at baptism (between godchild and godparent, between godparent and natural parent, and between godchild and certain other participants) brought no property rights and entailed no legally enforceable obligations, and accordingly were seldom recorded. In this paper it is proposed to assemble such documentation as has been found on spiritual kinship in western Europe between the fifth and the eighteenth centuries. More specifically, it is intended to draw attention to some late medieval English evidence linking spiritual kinship with patterns of personal nomenclature, which might well prove valuable to an understanding both of this interesting institution and of other aspects of traditional European society.
History
Publication title
Studies on The Personal Name in Later Medieval England and Wales
Editors
Dave Postles and Joel T. Rosenthal
Pagination
115-46
ISBN
1580440258
Department/School
School of Humanities
Publisher
Medieval Institute Publications, Western Michigan University
Place of publication
Kalamazoo
Extent
14
Rights statement
Copyright 2006 Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University
Repository Status
Restricted
Socio-economic Objectives
Expanding knowledge in history, heritage and archaeology