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Chivalry is a term that has many interpretations. The word itself, which first appeared in English in 1292, derives from the French chevalier or knight, specifically a mounted knight. It came to mean more than just knighthood, as chivalry was used to describe a way of fighting, a set of ideals in warfare and in love, and a whole system of society based around the idea of the noble warrior. A chivalric society arguably emerged in the 12th century with the rise of knighthood, and it really only applied to those who were part of militaristic elite; nobles, knights, and men who fought. Chivalric ideals also encompassed women. As the medieval period progressed, chivalric ideals were tackled in a range of written works—from biographies to comic tales and manuals of combat—as an attempt was made to define what chivalry was. The clash of ideals between warfare and violence, and the peace required by religious devotion, was resolved with the rise of the Crusades and debates over Just War. At the same time, the number of men assuming knighthood went into decline, perhaps due to the costs of becoming a knight and equipping yourself, and so knighthood and its attendant chivalric ideals became increasingly elite. The link between chivalry and high status was exemplified by the rise of chivalric orders, the elaboration of tournaments, and the promotion of heraldry as a sign of membership of this select group.

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Despite the volume of scholarship dedicated to crusade motivation, comparative little has been said on how the crusades affected the lives of individuals, and how this played out once the returned home. Taking as a case study a Cheshire landholder, Geoffrey of Dutton, this article looks at the reasons for his crusade participation and his actions once he returned to Cheshire, arguing that he was changed by his experiences to the extent that he was concerned with remembering and conveying his own status as a returned pilgrim. It also looks at the impact of a relic of the True Cross he brought back and gave to the Augustinian priory of Norton.

The growth in Catholic pilgrimage in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is widely acknowledged, but little attention has been paid to how and why many of the mass pilgrimages of the era began. This article will assess the contribution made by the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom to the growth of Catholic pilgrimage. After the Guild’s foundation in 1887, its leadership revived or restored pilgrimages to pre- and post-Reformation sites, and coordinated the movement of thousands of pilgrims across the country. This article offers an examination of how and why Guild leaders chose particular locations in the context of Marian Revivalism, papal interest in the English martyrs, defence of the Catholic faith, and late-nineteenth century medievalism. It argues that the Guild was pivotal in establishing some of England’s most famous post-Reformation pilgrimages. In doing so, it situates the work of the Guild in late nineteenth and early twentieth century religiosity, and demonstrates the pivotal nature of its work in establishing, developing, organising, and promoting some of the most important post-Reformation Catholic pilgrimages in Britain.