Description: This book explores the struggle to strengthen the influence of the national Churches in the first half of the 19th century. Those who sought strong national Churches faced the growth of Catholic nationalism in Ireland and the emergence of liberalism in Britain, as well as a movement within the Churches for independence from the State.
Review Quotes: "This is a work magnificent in its scope and richness a landmark in ecclesiastical history."-- Albion
"This book is a major contribution to the religious historiography of the British Isles in the early nineteenth century and should be recommended as required reading for all students studying this period of British history, hot just in the religious context, but in the secular one as well. It is likely to remain a classic for many years to come."--Historian"Brown not only synthesizes a great deal of scholarship within the sweep of his three countries and five decades, but, keeping Scotland, Ireland, and England simultaneously in view, also produces real dividends and fresh insights as wider patterns are revealed."--Victorian Studies