The Last of the Prince Bishops

ThisstudyexaminesthesignificanceoftheinfluentialHighChurch'HackneyPhalanx'atthebeginningofthenineteenthcentury,andopensupalittle-exploredareaofAnglicanhistory.Drawingextensivelyuponoriginalcorrespondence,ElizabethVarleyreconstructstheworkoftheHackneyPhalanxandtheirdefenceoftraditionalAnglicanascendancyagainsttheforcesofpoliticalandreligiousreformduringthefinalcrisisoftheEnglishconfessionalstate.ThestudyfocusesuponWilliamVanMildert,BishopofDurhamfrom1826–36,andshowsthat,whileVanMildert'sinfluenceas'PrinceBishop'borelittleresemblancetohismedievalforebears,hemadeeffectiveuseofittocauseconsiderableirritationtotheWhigestablishmentoftheday,localandnational.Varleybringsskilfullytolifemanyofthetensionsofthattime-politicalandecclesiastical-whichculminatedintheCatholicEmancipationActof1829andthepassingoftheParliamentaryReformBillin1832.