Eighteenth Century Britain : Religion and Politics 1714-1815

By 1714 Britain was still reeling from the major religious upheavals of the previous two centuries. In this essential new study Nigel Yates introduces us to this uncertain time where religion remained at the very heart of British life while new and radical ideas were beginning to appear below the surface. Based on original research by the author and the most up-to-date literature this is an essential guide to Britain in 1714 to 1815, a period in which the first truly religiously diverse society in Europe developed.

The church of the eighteenth century was still reeling in the wake of the huge religious upheavals of the two previous centuries. Though this was a comparatively quiet period, this book shows that for the whole period, religion was a major factor in the lives of virtually everybody living in Britain and Ireland. Yates argues that the established churches, Anglican in England, Irelandand Wales, and Presbyterian in Scotland, were an integral part of the British constitution, an arrangement staunchly defended by churchmen and politicians alike.

The book also argues that, although there was a close relationship between church and state in this period, there was also limited recognition of other religions. This led to Britain becoming a diverse religious society much earlier than most other parts of Europe. During the same period competition between different religious groups encouraged ecclesiastical reforms throughout all the different churches in Britain.