A Social History of the Domestic Chaplain, 1530-1840

A history of the domestic chaplain to the nobility and gentry between 1530 and 1840, this work examines the work and role of domestic chaplains during this period, when they were regulated by law. It also considers the connections between chaplains and key events in British history.

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A history of the domestic chaplain to the nobility and gentry between 1530 and 1840, this work examines the work and role of domestic chaplains during this period, when they were regulated by law. It also considers the connections between chaplains and key events in British history, such as the Restoration. Chaplains often made a hidden, but important, contribution to the religious life of the nation. Their work was not chronicled in the usual records of the Church since they often operated outside the supervision of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. In this text, the status and the growing range of activities undertaken by domestic chaplains during the 16th and 17th centuries is explored. In particular, the nature of the chaplain's relationship with a patron is given special emphasis. Chaplains could be companions and spiritual guides, but they could also demonstrate the status or condescension of the patron. Drawing on a wide range of sources, this book reconstructs the secular and religious duties of a chaplain. It advances an explanation for the decline of the domestic chaplain during the 18th century, and the extinction of chaplain's rights to hold two livings in 1840.
There is also an analysis of the role of women's chaplains, of Catholic chaplains, and the political influence of chaplains during the turbulence of the English Civil War and Restoration.