Archbishop Howley, 1828–1848

William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury 1828-1848, led the Church of England during the beginning and expansion of the Oxford Movement, at a time when the precursor to the Church Commissioners was established, and during the momentous debates and decisions in Parliament which saw the final retreat from the myth of an all Anglican legislature. HowleyΓÇÖs chairmanship of the commissions of the 1830s and 1840s which began the gargantuan task of reforming the ChurchΓÇÖs practices and re-arranging its finances, made him an object of fury and scorn to some of those who benefited from things as they were, most especially in the cathedrals. Exploring the central events and debates within the Church of England in the first half of the nineteenth century, this book draws on primary and secondary evidence about HowleyΓÇÖs career and influence. A section of original sources, including his Charges and other public documents, correspondence and speeches in the House of Lords, places HowleyΓÇÖs achievements in proper context and illustrates his prevailing concerns in education, the establishment and political reform, relationships with the Tractarians, and in the early stages of Church reform. Dealing thematically with many of the issues faced by Howley, and exploring his own High Church theological views in historical context, James Garrard offers a fruitful re-appraisal of the intellectual, spiritual and ΓÇÖpartyΓÇÖ context in which Howley moved.