ABSTRACT
Religious activity merged with social and political concerns, and social gatherings and celebrations were an integral part of the Church's activity. Lay beliefs and activities were found among men and women, and among nobles, townspeople and peasants in the later medieval world. Men as heads of the household were responsible for the religious well-being of the inmates, but women's responsibilities for family and servants gave them a special religious role. In addition to worship and the sacraments, many women were involved in the running and maintenance of their parish churches. The English guilds gave women a religious outlet and an identity within the community, and catered for all social levels except the very poor. Few excluded women, but they had only an organisational role in female confraternities. In addition to their religious practice at home and in church, men and women had the opportunity to show their devotion by going on pilgrimage.
