This work investigates the evolution, practice, and eventual decline of the ritual year in England between 1400 and 1700. Ronald Hutton, a Professor of History at the University of Bristol, utilizes extensive archival research and primary source documentation to analyze how religious and secular customs shifted during the transition from the late medieval period to the early modern era. He argues that these rituals were not static traditions but dynamic social expressions that responded to political, religious, and economic pressures.

Scholars and critics recognize this text as a definitive resource for understanding the intersection of folk tradition and institutional religion in pre-industrial England. Readers frequently note the balance between rigorous academic research and accessible, engaging prose.