Stephen Mossman and Abi Cornick discuss why lay women and men made donations – of money, of land, and sometimes of themselves – to the Order of St John. How far can we know what was in the minds of individuals in the far distant past? What can a cache of ancient documents in the Museum’s collection tell us about the lives of French farmers and their relationship to the Order nearly eight hundred years ago?

We would love to hear from our listeners! We will be recording a special podcast at the end of the series to answer your questions. If you want to ask anything about the history of the Order, the books themselves, the Museum or anything else – or you have any other feedback for us – then please write to us at museum@sja.org.uk. We’ll do our best to answer!