After Baxter: Edmund Calamy and Redefining the History of Dissent

Research Context
Scholars have become increasingly aware of the vitality and importance of ecclesiastical history in the post-Reformation era, and there is growing interest in the battle over the English Protestant past fought by Anglicans and Dissenters. However, much remains to be done. This project will examine the sources, methods and objectives of the most formidable historian of Dissent in the early eighteenth century, the neglected Presbyterian divine Edmund Calamy (1671-1732). Calamy was actively involved in the publication of Richard Baxter's landmark history of his times, the 'Reliquiae Baxterianae' (1696), and its 'Abridgment' (1702), and as part of that project he produced an influential account of the Dissenting clergy who had been ejected at the Restoration. Originally a long chapter in the 'Abridgment', this was published separately as an expanded 'Account' (1713), eventually becoming a two volume work of two thousand pages (1727). It was later revised by Samuel Palmer (1775-78; 1802) and A.G. Matthews (1934). Despite its undoubted importance, there has been no systematic assessment of Calamy's achievement. Dr Wykes has laid the groundwork for such a project with two essays on Calamy's historical research and writing, but a definitive study of his seminal work is urgently required. Calamy carefully edited his sources in order to present an image of nonconformity as an essentially moderate movement, but there has been little close textual analysis of how he did this.

Aims and Objectives
The project, therefore, will involve a meticulous examination of Calamy's 'Account' and its printed and manuscript sources insofar as they are extant. It will aim:
- To produce a highly trained historian with specialist knowledge of the history of English Dissent
- To analyse how Calamy compiled, crafted and developed his account of the ejected ministers from its first publication in 1702 to 1727, and how he amended his source material (e.g. Baxter's papers, Ralph Thoresby's correspondence)
- To locate Calamy's project within the context of the bitter ecclesiastical disputes of the early eighteenth century, showing how he tailored his account of the ejected ministers to suit the needs of Dissent in the early eighteenth century
- To examine how Calamy drew on and developed exisiting traditions of ecclesiastical history and godly biography
- To assess how Calamy's historical labours fit within his larger project - what he called 'A Defence of Moderate Nonconformity' - as he sought to negotiate the difficult waters between Dissent's Reformation heritage and the early Enlightenment


Applications and Benefits:
This project will result in a much clearer picture of how Edmund Calamy reshaped the identity of English Dissent by redefining its history. It will create an exciting synergy with other projects currently being advanced through the Doctor Williams's Library, especially the critical edition of Baxter's 'Reliquiae Baxterianae' (under the leadership of Prof. Neil Keeble). A fresh analysis of how the history of Dissent was constructed by Calamy should benefit a wider public, including the Friends of the Doctor Williams's Library and denominational history societies. Finally, the findings will be of interest to professional historians working on a wide range of subjects: Puritanism, the Restoration settlement, the relationship between Church and Dissent, and early modern ecclesiastical histories.

The 350th anniversary of the Act of Uniformity (1662) takes place in 2012, and plans by churches, denominational leaders and academics to mark this event are already well advanced. The wider public involvement will take a number of forms, with conferences, special issues of denominational history journals, and a national religious service of reconciliation between churchmen and dissenters already planned. Undoubtedly many chapel and local histories will be published to mark the event. The anniversary will inevitably raise public consciousness of Edmund Calamy and his work, because Calamy's account of the ejected ministers is almost the only source for the early history of nonconformity known to non-specialists. We would therefore expect our collaborative project to have a considerable impact, serving to provide churches and local communities with a clearer idea of their history and how it was constructed in particular ways to serve particular purposes.
The collaboration with Dr Williams's Library, with its own long established audiences, brings a set of well defined pathways for public engagement. Although many of those who use the Library are academics, a majority of the members (who pay a subscription) and those who support the Library as Friends are not. The Library has around 750 members, of whom only a third can be broadly identified as academics, another third are ministers of religion, and the remainder are described as general readers, that is independent scholars and private individuals who value access to a research library to pursue their own interests. Users of the Library (members and non-members) reflect these broad categories, though they include a significant number of family and local historians. Each year around 200 individuals register to use the Library for the first time, many from the United States, France and Italy. Together the Friends of both Dr Williams's Library and the Congregational Library number around 300 members and hold an annual lecture (subsequently published) and a summer event. The membership of the Friends reflects the more traditional areas of support for the Library, principally general readers and those with denominational ties. Both directly, and through forums such as the Association of Denominational Historical Societies & Cognate Libraries, the Library has close links with the main dissenting denominations, their historical societies, and associated libraries. A major objective of the Dr Williams's Centre is to increase public knowledge and understanding of the importance of Puritanism and Protestant dissent to English society and literature by encouraging work on the collections and disseminating the findings by means of conferences, seminars, and print and electronic publication, including e-publishing and databases. The Centre maintains a substantial mailing list, and advertises its events by poster, electronic notice board, and individual email and mail. The different audiences for each of the six themed conferences (two of which were held in association with other societies) indicates that the Centre is effective in reaching its target groups.

The award-holder will be encouraged to use the various pathways that the Library and Centre offer by organising, for example, a workshop, making a presentation about their research to a Friends' summer event, or writing a short piece for the Library's e-Bulletin, as well to explore other mediums to disseminate their findings. These might include organising a workshop or preparing an online 'virtual exhibition' of material from the collection. Many of these activities could take place in Leicester, but the Library and Centre already have a budget to organise such events, the Lecture Hall and other facilities are centrally located and available without charge to members of the Centre, and the Library has links with the individuals and