ABSTRACT
The study area for the Shapwick Project is defined by the 'working' landscape of the later medieval community who farmed at Shapwick, the manor, now more or less co-terminous with the parish. The task of reconstructing the history of Shapwick in the period between the early 8th century and the 13th century, when documentation becomes more abundant is a crucial one for understanding the context of the contemporary archaeological evidence and particularly for the role and status of the church. The proximity of the church at Glastonbury undermines the possibility that Shapwick was a minster. Glastonbury has impeccable credentials as a major early minster. If Shapwick was the central place in the Pouelt estate, it seems odd that it was the first landholding to be granted by King Ine to Glastonbury. Such a grant would effectively have removed his, the king's own, arrangements for the administration of his lands.
