This book is an examination of the medieval English nunnery superior as a power broker. It addresses questions of social identity, models of leadership, and perceptions of the role and performance of the abbess or prioress in secular and religious spheres. Although several historians have studied English medieval nunneries in various contexts, there has been no attempt as yet to focus specifically on the individual elected to lead her house. The role of the medieval abbess or prioress allowed the exercise of independent authority by a woman, in an era noted for its subjugation of females and for its schizoid view of them as either temptresses or saints. This woman, whether in an abbey or priory, bore responsibility not only for spiritual leadership, but also for the maintenance and exploitation of convent property.

The image of the worldly and ineffectual medieval nun, deliniated progressively by Eileen Power in Medieval English Nunneries and Medieval People and recycled by later historians, has been challenged directly or implicitly by a number of scholars. John Tillotson's pamphlet on Marrick Priory, for example, reveals careful and, perhaps, sacrificial management of resources by the community during a period when reduced demand for land meant declining income for many monasteries. Catherine Paxton's dissertation on London nunneries not only questions the negative stereotype of the nun per se, but also argues convincingly that secular folk valued the London nuns for their intercessory function. In addition, Joan Greatrex and Yvonne Parrey provide insights into the devotional life of convents and the use made of formational texts which were often donated by pious secular folk and later shared with their sisters in the community.