The roots of anti-clericalism in colonial Virginia down to 1750 with particular reference to the career of James Blair
The roots of anti-clericalism in colonial Virginia down to 1750 with particular reference to the career of James Blair
Many historians have considered the role of the Anglican Church in the founding and settlement of the Virginia colony. It has been seen as largely irrelevent to the lives of, the majority of settlers, and served by ministers who were, at best, indifferent to their task. Alternatively it has been regarded as a central source of stability amid the uncertainties of a wilderness environment, served by men of considerable devotion and spiritual merit. This the sis attempts to show that neither of these views can be accepted without a variety of qualifications, and certainly, the emergence and development of anti-clerical fooling itself will not accommodate itself to either argument, Indeed,any all-encompassing statements pertaining to the Virginia Church are inherently misleading,In the most general terms it is essential to differentiate between two periods, both in the development of the Church, and in the growth of anti-clerical feeling, Until approximately the end of the Seventeenth Century the parishes and vestries of Virginia were independent organisations with little central oversight, Religious laws might be passed by the Assembly at Jamestown, but implementation was virtually impossible,, While organisation on any save the local level was unknown, any anti-clerical feeling was naturally confined to particular areas and individual cases. With the arrival of James Blair as Commissary to the Bishop of London, theiChurch was given a central organisation, based on the English example. Thus, with the stratification of the Church, viaan alien hierarchy and subsequent internal bickerings, came, the growth of a concerted opposition to the clergy. This was a gradual process, but it resulted in the eventual alienation of the planter elite from the Church after many years of religious stultification.
University of Southampton
1979
Robinson, David John
(1979)
The roots of anti-clericalism in colonial Virginia down to 1750 with particular reference to the career of James Blair.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Many historians have considered the role of the Anglican Church in the founding and settlement of the Virginia colony. It has been seen as largely irrelevent to the lives of, the majority of settlers, and served by ministers who were, at best, indifferent to their task. Alternatively it has been regarded as a central source of stability amid the uncertainties of a wilderness environment, served by men of considerable devotion and spiritual merit. This the sis attempts to show that neither of these views can be accepted without a variety of qualifications, and certainly, the emergence and development of anti-clerical fooling itself will not accommodate itself to either argument, Indeed,any all-encompassing statements pertaining to the Virginia Church are inherently misleading,In the most general terms it is essential to differentiate between two periods, both in the development of the Church, and in the growth of anti-clerical feeling, Until approximately the end of the Seventeenth Century the parishes and vestries of Virginia were independent organisations with little central oversight, Religious laws might be passed by the Assembly at Jamestown, but implementation was virtually impossible,, While organisation on any save the local level was unknown, any anti-clerical feeling was naturally confined to particular areas and individual cases. With the arrival of James Blair as Commissary to the Bishop of London, theiChurch was given a central organisation, based on the English example. Thus, with the stratification of the Church, viaan alien hierarchy and subsequent internal bickerings, came, the growth of a concerted opposition to the clergy. This was a gradual process, but it resulted in the eventual alienation of the planter elite from the Church after many years of religious stultification.
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Published date: 1979
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Local EPrints ID: 458755
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/458755
PURE UUID: 48bab935-c5bd-4a57-8a76-aa5f453b9186
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 16:55
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 16:55
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Author:
David John Robinson
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