Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
View from a medieval monastery
CHERTSEY ABBEY, SURREY c.1430
Why make a map? In the Middle Ages, reading and writing were rare skills and largely the
preserve of monks, who carefully kept copies of important documents such as charters and
deeds about their monastery's estate bound together in a volume called a cartulary. Maps such
as this one began to be made, as a different and effective way of showing ownership and
rights over land.
