This volume investigates the legal, economic, and ecclesiastical development of Abingdon Abbey during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. John Hudson, a scholar of medieval law and history, utilizes the earliest surviving manuscript of the Historia Ecclesie Abbendonensis to provide a critical edition of the text. By pairing the original Latin with a modern English translation and extensive scholarly apparatus, the work serves as a primary source for understanding the administrative and social functions of a major monastic institution in post-Conquest England.

Scholars and historians regard this edition as a significant improvement over previous versions due to its reliance on the earliest manuscript evidence. The text is widely recognized as a foundational resource for those studying the administrative complexities of medieval monasticism.