The Clergy in Early Modern Scotland

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From the early percolation of Protestant thought in the sixteenth century through to the controversies and upheaval of the civil wars in the seventeenth century, the clergy were at the heart of religious change in Scotland. By exploring their lived experiences, and drawing upon historical, theological, and literary approaches, the essays here paint a fresh and vibrant portrait of ministry during the kingdom's long Reformation. The contributors investigate how clergy, as well as their families and flocks, experienced and negotiated religious, social, and political change; through examination of both wider themes and individual case studies, the chapters emphasise the flexibility of local decision-making and how ministers and their families were enmeshed in parish dynamics, while also highlighting the importance of clerical networks beyond the parish. What emerges is a ministry that, despite the increasing professionalisation of the role, maintained a degree of local autonomy and agency. The volume thus provokes a significant shift in our view of early modern European ministry: away from the simplistic caricatures of the past towards a more historically aware understanding of those who stood at the forefront of Protestant reform.

CONTRIBUTORS: Michelle D. Brock, Jane E.A. Dawson, Helen Gair, Michael F. Graham, Nathan C.J. Hood, Chris R. Langley, Peter Marshall, Felicity Lyn Maxwell, John McCallum, Catherine E. McMillan, Claire McNulty, Russell Newton, Janay Nugent, L. Rae Stauffer, Elizabeth Tapscott.