The 532 letters that are published in this volume come from the extensive correspondence that was received from people in Lincolnshire parishes by John Kaye, Bishop of Lincoln between 1827 and 1853. They are important because theyexpress the opinions and reflect the attitudes of lay people as well as clergymen: Kaye's correspondents ranged from members of the landed gentry to people who would usually have little direct contact with the bishop. They included a 'troublesome', 'deceptious' and 'pugnacious' village carrier disputing the fees charged for burial in his local churchyard, as well as the farmer who complained of the 'hill usige' that he had 'ricivid from the viker' of hisparish. The correspondence reflects Kaye's work as a Church reformer, but it is also important for the way that it demonstrates the changing significance of the Church in the lives of local communities. The extent to which the Church and its affairs were the means through which the social relations of parishes were articulated and sustained was a measure of the continuing importance of the establishment. ROD AMBLER is Senior Lecturerin History at the University of Hull.

Founded shortly after the Conquest of 1066, Boston rapidly grew to become the most successful English port outside of London. The growth of the wool trade in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries led to the building of St Botolph’s, the largest parish church in the country. During the seventeenth century the town was strongly Puritan, causing some inhabitants to emigrate to America to found the new city of Boston, Massachusetts. Some of the Pilgrim Fathers were imprisoned in the medieval Guildhall, which survives to this day. Boston’s story is brought right up to date, celebrating the complete history of this fabulous Lincolnshire town in a volume that will delight locals and visitors alike.

An engaging account of the life of a nineteenth-century priest.

The nature of evangelical identity in Britain is both a perennial issue and an urgent one. This is especially the case because evangelical Christianity has, throughout its history, been characterized by a remarkable degree of dynamism and diversity. These essays, by a distinguished list of contributors, explore the issue of evangelical identity and the nature of evangelical diversity by investigating the interactions of evangelicalism with national and denominational identities, race and gender, and its expression in spirituality and culture from the evangelical revivals of the eighteenth century to evangelical churches and movements of the present. A second volume will investigate similar issues in relation to evangelical interactions with the Bible and theology. Contributors: Rob Ambler, Andrew Atherstone, Kristin Aune, David W. Bebbington, David Goodhew, John Harvey, Andrew R. Holmes, David Ceri Jones, Ian Jones, Rachel Jordan, David Killingray, Ian Randall, Mark Smith, Brian Talbot, Peter Webster, Martin Wellings, and Eryn White.

This book examines how the practice of episcopacy in the Church of England and the EKD affects the claim that the 'historic episcopate' is a necessary condition for 'the full interchangeability of ministers'. It addresses four questions relating to the practice of oversight: How have different forms of oversight sought to maintain the apostolic 'historic' faith in history and today? How does the exercise of authority within contemporary societies relate to the pre-modern ideas expressed in the idea of historic episcopate? How has the practice of oversight changed in the light of demographic changes and declining levels of church membership? What are the implications of synodical government and shared oversight for the concept of 'historic episcopate'? The book's goal is to explore whether an interdisciplinary analysis of episcopacy can assist the churches in establishing a new understanding of the "historic episcopate". With papers by Mark Chapman, Jonathan Gibbs, Matthias Grebe, Miriam Haar, Alex Hughes, Frances Knight, Morwenna Ludlow, Ralf Meister, Friederike Nüssel, Bernd Oberdorfer and Peter Scherle.