ABSTRACT
Organized urban life in Roman Britain came to an end in the chaos of the opening years of the fifth century, but this did not entail Gloucester's complete abandonment. It is unthinkable that Gloucester, the central place of a largely Christian region, did not already have a church or churches, with a resident priesthood. The foundation of a minster at Gloucester is not to be seen as a missionary act, bringing Christianity to a heathen people; rather it would have been the imposition of a new institution to oversee existing pastoral work. According to the abbey's Historia, the minster was at first under the rule of abbesses. There is no evidence that the abbesses and clergy of the Minster had any secular authority in the region. The refurbishment of Gloucester as a burh had taken place most probably during the 880s and could have been achieved by repairs to the Roman walls and gates which already defended a large area.
