This work investigates the origins, development, and eventual decline of the proprietary church system in the medieval West. Susan Wood, a noted scholar of medieval ecclesiastical history, examines how private ownership of churches by lay lords functioned within the broader framework of feudal society and canon law. The text argues that the proprietary church was a fundamental structural element of early medieval religious life, shaping the relationship between secular power and ecclesiastical authority.

Historians recognize this work as a definitive academic study on the subject of medieval proprietary churches. Readers frequently note the high level of scholarly rigor and the extensive use of primary source documentation throughout the text.