High Churchmen and the Tories in late Stuart England: A question of party allegiance

Christian A Griggs, Purdue University

Abstract

Within the historiography of late Stuart England, High Churchmen have traditionally been labeled as supporters of the Tory Party. A number of historians even write of “High Church Tories” as a segment of the Tory Party that could be trusted to support Tory leadership. Such categorization serves only to hide the diversity of opinions held by leading High Churchmen while also failing to acknowledge the unique political and religious perspectives of clergy during the period. This dissertation challenges the traditional categorization of High Churchmen as Tories, arguing that High Churchmen did not necessarily align themselves with the Tory Party. Instead, High Churchmen approached major political issues in the late Stuart period from a perspective informed chiefly by their concerns as churchmen who held elevated views of their religion. After providing a background for High Churchmanship and introducing the key High Churchman of the era, this dissertation will examine and compare Tory and High Church responses to three key events in late Stuart England: the Revolution of 1688/89, the “Church in Danger” Crisis, and the Hanoverian Succession with the connected War of Spanish Succession. The general response and activities of Tories during these events will be briefly presented and then compared with the actions and perspective of High Churchmen, revealing the separation between the two positions. The dissertation concludes that a strict categorization of High Churchmen as Tories is misleading and masks the diversity and independence of High Churchmen in late Stuart England.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Zook, Purdue University.

Subject Area

European history

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