This volume investigates the administrative and ecclesiastical records of the bishops of Coventry and Lichfield during the critical period of 1183-1208. M. J. Franklin, an expert in medieval ecclesiastical records, compiles and analyzes these primary source documents to provide a clearer understanding of episcopal governance. By examining these acta, the author reconstructs the legal and religious framework that defined the diocese during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.

Scholars and historians frequently cite this volume as a foundational reference for understanding the bureaucratic evolution of the medieval English church. The text is noted for its rigorous academic precision and its utility in reconstructing the administrative history of the period.