Peter Marshall and Alec Ryrie, eds. The Beginnings of English Protestantism.

Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. xii + 242 pp. + 6 b/w pls. index, illus. $55 (cl), $20 (pbk). ISBN: 0-521-80274-1 (cl), 0-521-00324-5 (pbk).

This volume is a contribution to the continuing debate over the character of the Reformation in England. As the editors show in their preface, the traditional view expounded a generation ago by A. G. Dickens--that the medieval church was corrupt and many people demanded change--is no longer accepted. More recent studies, especially those by J. J. Scarisbrick and Eamon Duffy, have demonstrated that the medieval services and traditions of the church were still widely appreciated and there was little popular desire to jettison them. One of the latest interpretations, that by Christopher Haig (English Reformations, 1993), suggests that the Reformation was generally accepted only in the middle years of Elizabeth's reign, after a new generation which had never known the pre-Reformation church had grown up. The present writers attempt to clarify the situation in the early years of the Reformation, mainly during the reign of Henry VIII. They show that it is much too simple to approach religious change as being either forced politically ("from the top down") or demanded by a populist movement ("from the bottom up"). It was much more complex than that: different leaders had different views and their interaction with each other, with the monarchy, and with the people was varied and not easy to force into a simple narrative.

Although the essays presented here are on specific topics, all relate to the general theme of early Protestantism (though several writers are hesitant to use that term, preferring reform or religious change instead). Six of the nine authors teach at British universities, three at American institutions. At least two (Patrick Collinson and Andrew Pettegree) are widely respected senior scholars, while others, like Alec Ryrie, Ethan Shagan, and Susan Wabuda are younger academics. Two of most interesting contributions deal with the printers who made early Protestant writings available in England. Pettegree discusses English printing generally, pointing out important differences between the smaller, newer English presses and their larger, better established counterparts on the Continent. He also describes the technicalities of printing and shows that publication of large folio volumes was much more complex and expensive than the printing of a larger number of small tracts. John King follows this with a significant case study, the work of the notable London printer John Day. The editors contribute separate but related chapters, Marshall discussing the experience of evangelical conversion during the reign of Henry VIII and Ryrie tackling the problem of allegiance--which sheep followed which shepherds. Richard Rex provides a fine account of the experiences of friars; strangely enough they have been studied far less than monks and nuns, although a number of former friars, like John Scory, John Hilsey, Miles Coverdale, and Robert Barnes, figure prominently in any narrative. The fascinating reformer Clement Armstrong is brought to life in an account by Ethan Shagan. Already known as an associate of Thomas Cromwell, he turns out to be more radical and perhaps less intellectual than we had thought. Thomas Freeman ventures into the reigns of Edward VI and Mary Tudor to discuss the group of Freewillers, whose rejection of the doctrine of predestination made them dissenters even from the dissenting church. Susan Wabuda discusses the impact of the Reformation on the institution of marriage, showing that the dominance of husbands declined somewhat once marriage was no longer regarded as a sacrament. Finally, Patrick Collinson adds another footnote to his continuing studies of Puritanism, examining the role of conventicles and "night schools" (groups that met under cover of darkness to practice their radical religious beliefs) in early Protestant ecclesiology.

Despite the significant contribution of these studies, it is too early to formulate any new interpretation of the early English Reformation. In particular it seems necessary to examine the interaction between official policy and individual belief more fully. But these writers demonstrate the quality of the work in progress and do much to illuminate what have been some of the dark corners of the changing church.

STANFORD LEHMBERG

University of Minnesota, Emeritus