Clergy and Lay Relations in Mid-Seventeenth Century England, 1640-1672

The Civil Wars, Interregnum and Restoration witnessed unparalleled upheavals in the structures of religious life in English communities, book-ended by the two greatest mass clerical ejections in English history. But existing work has failed to explore precisely how the local religious community and its collective symbols and identities was reimagined in this period. By an intensive study of several richly documented Yorkshire parishes which uniquely compares both ejections, and focuses on the key topic of lay-clerical relations, this project will provide a distinctive new understanding of the nature and impact of early modern cultural change.