I. his thesis is divided into three s-3ctions. Section one
examinas the Church of En--land in Cumbria and concentrates on the
work and patronage of the bishops ond of the dean and chapter,
the archdeacons, canons and chancellors of the diocese, the issue
of ritualistic innovation and the work of the parochial cleroy.
Particular emphasis is given to the episcopate of Samuel
7ialdegrave. Section two provides an account of the history of
the Nonconformists of Cumbria with a chapter devoted to each of
the following: the Roman Catholics, the Mlethodists of the eighteenth
century, the Sandemanians together with the Inoh=-ites and the
Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, the Congregationalistsv the
Presbyteriansv the Unitarians, the Baptists and the Churches of
Christ, the Quakers, the Brethren and finally the several
M-ethodist connexions of the nineteenth century. The link between
sections one and t,, -io is a study of the influence of the Lake
District and religion. Section three deals with the general
,
importance of relir7 ion in Cumbria with chaDters devoted to the
theme of temperance, the Lawson family and 'Carlisle, to education,
and to each of the folloring: Barrow in Furness, Ravenstonedale,
Popular Reliý,, ion, Religious Architecture, and to Politics and
Relil7ion. The theme of the off-comer in Cumbrian reli-ious
history is central to all three sections. There is a 'Linzd
chapter on the twentieth century followed by the conclusions,
bibliography and index.