Unusually this fascinating book is a history of the institution of the parish rather than the usual survey of Church buildings. It begins with the origins of the parochial system in this country, and the importance of its close relationship to local structures of power. While the principle of tithe and patronage were universal, the fact that the right to tithes as well as patronage were tradable commodities, produced a rich diversity of local custom, much of it not swept away until the reforms of the mid 19th century, and some surviving until the formation of the Church Commissioners and the standardisation of stipends in 1948. Though a few Incumbents lived in enormous splendour, on stipends which would, in today’s equivalent, be in six figures, the majority of beneficed clergy lived in much more modest circumstances, and the much larger number of the unbeneficed often around or below the poverty level. With the formation of Queen Anne’s Bounty to improve the level of stipends in the 18th century, and the sweeping range of reforms which began in the mid 19th century we begin to see the Church of recent years take shape. The survey is brought right up to date with the financial and staffing problems of the past thirty years, and the formation of the Archbishop’s Council.

For those who believe that the stipend was always provided in full by the Church Commissioners, and that the ‘one parson one parish’ model was an ancient tradition of the Church, this book presents a challenging range of structures from the past. In her conclusion the author the suggests that history should not be used simply to illuminate present problems, but that “more hopefully, the history of the parish shows the variety, experiment, change there has been within and between townships and communities. Many possible ways forward can be inspired by the past”.

Anthea Jones, former Head of History at Cheltenham Ladies College, presents an enormous wealth of detail while at the same time write in a lively and engaging style. The book is beautifully produced and well illustrated throughout (including a photograph of one of the Anglo-Saxon crosses in Whalley Churchyard).

Chris Sterry 29.iii.01