The English Reformation and the Laity
Gloucestershire, 1540–1580

The story of the English Reformation from the viewpoint of ordinary people and their parishes.

Caroline Litzenberger (Author)

9780521520218, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 16 May 2002

244 pages, 3 b/w illus. 1 map
22.9 x 15.4 x 1.8 cm, 0.514 kg

'… deserves to be read by students of both local history and the English Reformation in general'. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History

This book examines the effects of the English Reformation on the full spectrum of lay religion from 1540 to 1580 through an investigation of individuals and parishes in Gloucestershire. Rather than focusing on either the acceptance of Protestantism or the demise of the traditional Catholic religion, as other historians have done, it considers all shades of belief against the backdrop of shifting official religious policy. The result is the story of responses ranging from stiff resistance to eager acceptance, creating a picture of the religion of the laity which is diverse and complex, but also layered as parishes and individuals expressed their faith in ways which reflected the institutional or personal nature of their piety. Finally, while the book focuses on Gloucestershire, it reveals broad patterns of beliefs and practices which could probably be found all over England.

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.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], British & Irish history [HBJD1]