Visitation Articles and Injunctions of the Early Stuart Church

Book excerpt: Texts expressing concerns and priorities of the church during the reign of Charles I. `Sets a standard of excellence which will gain the society a high reputation... Documents which have for much too long been inaccessible to ecclesiastical and social historians, and which they cannot afford to ignore.' JOURNAL OFECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY `An important sourcebook for research about early seventeenth-century religious and social history.' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT [Following on from the highly-praised first volume of visitation articles, covering the years 1603-25] This selection of articles and injunctions issued by archbishops, bishops, archdeacons, and other ecclesiastical ordinaries in the early Stuart church concentrates on the church of Charles I, from his accession in 1625 to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642. The volume traces the impact of Laudian reforms as well as the defensive reaction of the Church hierarchy in 1641-2. The range of churchmanship included is broad, stretchingfrom the articles and injunctions of Laudian enthusiasts such as bishops Wren and Montagu to those issued by Calvinist episcopalians such as Hall and Thornborough. The introduction places these texts in their historical and historiographical contexts, and an appendix lists all surviving sets of visitation articles for the years 1603-1642. The volume will be a valuable work of reference for anyone interested in the government and ideals of the early Stuartchurch. Dr KENNETH FINCHAMis Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Kent at Canterbury.