ABSTRACT
Between the tenth and twelfth centuries there was a rapid proliferation of local, 'private' churches with resident priests. In some towns, the creation of planned parochial units and hierarchies has been suggested. In Hereford, a planned reorganization of parishes in the mid twelfth century has been tentatively proposed, the churches centrally placed within their parishes. Morris has suggested that there may have been 'an element of formal parochial apportionment' in the arrangement of the three churches and their parishes at the central cross-roads in Bristol. The relationship of urban parishes to early private properties was pursued by Brooke and Keir in their work on London. As with Worcester, insights into the development of Gloucester's parochial geography are to be gained by comparing it with what is known of the developing secular landscape, and with changes in the town's ecclesiastical establishment. The long-term stability of most of Gloucester's defensive perimeter simplifies the analysis of its parochial system.
