This fascinating book explores the status of women in medieval England, both before and after the Norman Conquest. Telford starts by contrasting the differences in status between Anglo/Danish or Saxon women with those who fell under the burden of the feudal system imposed by the Normans. She covers such subjects as marriage and childbirth, the rights and responsibilities of wives, separation and divorce, safety and security and the challenges of widowhood. Women in Medieval England also examines such issues as virginity and chastity and the pressures placed on women by religious groups. At a time when women’s rights were often disregarded, the author charts their struggles against the expectations of their menfolk and highlights the difficulties of everyday life within the context of legal and religious restrictions. The book describes the lives of women at all levels of society, both royal and noble as well as ordinary people, painting a fascinating picture of their daily lives against the changing background of the times they lived in.