The Reformation In English Towns, 1500-1640 (themes In Focus)

This volume seeks to address a relatively neglected subject in the field of English reformation studies: the reformation in its urban context. Drawing on the work of a number of historians, this collection of essays will seek to explore some of the dimensions of that urban stage and to trace, using a mixture of detailed case studies and thematic reflections, some of the ways in which religious change was both effected and affected by the activities of townsmen and women. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-19 Front Matter....Pages 21-21 The Birth of a Protestant Town: the Process of Reformation in Tudor Colchester, 1530–80....Pages 23-47 Religion in Doncaster from the Reformation to the Civil War....Pages 48-62 Politics and Religion in Early Modern Beverley....Pages 63-78 The Coming of Protestantism to Elizabethan Tewkesbury....Pages 79-93 Worcester: a Cathedral City in the Reformation....Pages 94-112 Leadership and Priorities in Reading during the Reformation....Pages 113-129 Textiles and Reform: Halifax and its Hinterland....Pages 130-143 Front Matter....Pages 145-145 Economic Problems of Provincial Urban Clergy during the Reformation....Pages 147-158 The Dissolution of the Chantries....Pages 159-174 Voluntary Religion and Reformation Change in Eight Urban Parishes....Pages 175-189 Reformation, Resources and Authority in English Towns: an Overview....Pages 190-201 Front Matter....Pages 203-203 The Shearmen’s Tree and the Preacher: the Strange Death of Merry England in Shrewsbury and Beyond....Pages 205-220 Religious Satire in English Towns, 1570–1640....Pages 221-240 Back Matter....Pages 241-335 The Birth Of A Protestant Town : The Process Of Reformation In Tudor Colchester, 1530-80 / Mark Byford -- Religion In Doncaster From The Reformation To The Civil War / Claire Cross -- Politics And Religion In Early Modern Beverley / David Lamburn -- The Coming Of Protestantism To Elizabethan Tewkesbury / Caroline Litzenberger -- Worcester : A Cathedral City In The Reformation / Diarmaid Macculloch -- Leadership And Priorities In Reading During The Reformation / Jeanette Martin -- Textiles And Reform : Halifax And Its Hinterland / William And Sarah Sheils -- Economic Problems Of Provincial Urban Clergy During The Reformation / Patrick Carter -- The Dissolution Of The Chantries / Peter Cunich -- Voluntary Religion And Reformation Change In Eight Urban Parishes / Beat Kümin -- Reformation, Resources And Authority In English Towns : An Overview / Robert Tittler -- The Shearmen's Tree And The Preacher : The Strange Death Of Merry England In Shrewsbury And Beyond / Patrick Collinson -- Religious Satire In English Towns, 1570-1640 / Adam Fox. Edited By Patrick Collinson And John Craig. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 302-316) And Index. The concern of this collection of essays is to redress two balances at once: to tell the story of what the Reformation did for the towns of England, and of what the towns did for the Reformation. Seven case studies of the fortunes Of the Reformation in the North, the West Midlands, the Thames Valley, and the East are followed by four thematic studies. These studies investigate the financial and institutional entrails of the Reformation changes as they redistributed endowments and resources with implications for urban parishes, urban clergy and the townsmen and their ruling elites. The last two essays bring us to some of the cultural reverberations of religious change. In this volume, leading specialists from a variety of disciplines examine the changing and conflicted meanings of revolution in modern and contemporary Europe. The opening and closing contributions provide overviews on the nature of revolutionary change, on the legacy of the 19th century for the 20th, and on the place of 20th century Europe in a global context of revolution. Other essays provide a series of case studies of radical political change. The intention is to take a fresh look at the apparently familiar, to rediscover the forgotten and to test the boundaries of what revolution was in the 20th century.