The Church of England

In 1750, the great majority of people in Britain were Christians. And well over half of those in England and Wales belonged to the Church of England. But the Church of England was more suited to the past than to the future.

Each village or group of villages formed a parish. And each parish had its church and parson. With the Industrial Revolution, some villages grew into towns. But still there was one parish church, and one parson. In the new towns, there was often no church near to where the people lived. And there was no parson to visit them when they needed help or comfort.

Some parsons worked very hard. But too many, especially in the country districts, took life easily. They were more keen to be on good terms with the local gentry than working among the poor. The bishops should have given them a lead. But too many bishops were more bothered about their own careers than the clergy they should have led and guided.

One group within the Church of England saw that all was not well. The evangelicals were keen to preach the Christian message in the new towns. They wanted people to read the Bible for themselves, so they were in favour of schools for the poor. But they were shocked by what they saw in the factories and mills. This is what led them to press for changes in the law.

Walter Robson: Britain 1750 – 1900; Oxford University Press, 1993/2002, page 91