Rowe, Lesley Ann (2009) The worlds of Arthur Hildersham (1563-1632). PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

PDF WRAP_THESIS_Rowe_2009.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader Download (1455Kb)

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the various worlds of early modern spirituality through the lens of one important and influential figure, Arthur Hildersham. Using diocesan, parish, and national records, and a close study of Hildersham’s printed works, it traces the story of one strand of England’s parallel Reformations. Hildersham’s long association with the parish of Ashby-de-la-Zouch provides the opportunity to examine the progress of the puritan Reformation in a particular locality over an extended period. His role as a godly pastor, and the message he delivered to his people, are considered. The thesis attempts to show that the effect of puritanism within a parish community was not necessarily divisive or unpopular, particularly when it was promulgated for many years and supported by a godly patron. Hildersham’s participation in networks of godly sociability and movements for further reformation illustrate how powerful and wide-reaching such associations could be. As an archetype of ‘Jacobethan’ nonseparating nonconformity, Hildersham’s career supplies a focus for looking at shifting configurations of conformity and orthodoxy. His ambivalent relationship with the ecclesiastical establishment, it is argued, demonstrates that even the most principled nonconformists had more agency than is sometimes allowed. How Hildersham was able to maintain a position of influence despite his frequent suspensions is examined. Recent studies of puritan culture have challenged a familiar radical/moderate paradigm, and this thesis supports the argument that the boundaries between mainstream puritans like Hildersham and those on the radical fringes were, in practice, blurred. However, it rejects the conclusion that all puritanism was intrinsically radical and that its adherents were incipient heretics. Hildersham’s legacy allows us to explore how a later age fashioned and used the memory of the past. It is hoped that this study will contribute to our understanding of the multi-layered experience of post-Reformation English religion.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Hildersam, Arthur, 1563-1632, Reformation -- England -- Sources, Puritans -- England -- History -- 16th century, Puritans -- England -- History -- 17th century, England -- Church history -- 16th century, England -- Church history -- 17th century, Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603, Great Britain -- History -- Early Stuarts, 1603-1649
Date:	June 2009
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Capp, B. S. ; Marshall, P. J. (Peter James)
Sponsors:	Arts and Humanities Research Council (Great Britain) (AHRC)
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	267 leaves
Language:	eng
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/2794

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item