The English Reformation and the Laity: Gloucestershire, 1540-1580

by Caroline Litzenberger

Overview

This book tells the story of the English Reformation from the viewpoint of ordinary people and their parishes. It discusses official policy and policymakers, as well as local bishops and priests, but the emphasis is on the laity in all its diversity, not just Catholic or Protestant. The book shows that while some individuals and parishes may have welcomed the new religion, people generally resisted change and then gradually created their own idiosyncratic sets of beliefs and practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521475457
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/11/1997
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.29(h) x 0.87(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Setting the scene; 2. Gloucestershire in the 1530s; 3. The new diocese of Gloucester (1540–46); 4. The advent of Edwardian protestantism (1547–53); 5. A return to the old religion (1553–58); 6. The early years of Elizabeth's reign (1559–69); 7. The clarification of the religious settlement (1570–80); 8. Conclusion; Appendices.

Editorial Reviews

"...this book is well written and scholarly and goes some way toward illuminating the Tudor period. The literary style is economic and thus easy to follow." Andrew A. Chibi, Canadian Journal of History

"This important new book studies the impact of the various Henrician, Edwardian, Marian, and Elizabethan religious settlements on parish life in Gloucestershire." Roger B. Manning

"...a meticulous study that centers on a quantitatively sophisticated sampling of Gloucestershire wills from the period. Litzenberger has made a substantial contribution to the history of the English Reformation by demonstrating the status of lay belief in Gloucestershire through the second decade of Elizabeth's reign. Her book is also valuable as a model of what can be done in a local study and how polarized debate can be moderated. It invites other scholars to follow suit." Martha C. Skeeters, American Historical Review

"This is an excellent book, which gives promise of more to come." The Historian

"...an interesting and...remarkably broad and very readable approach to the problem." Michael Questier, Journal of Modern History

From the Publisher