'All those who love the Church of England and are fascinated by its complex history will find things to enjoy in this book. It is a work of scholarship which lights up dark corners far beyond its apparent specialism.' Robert Runcie, The Daily Telegraph

• Acknowledgements; List of figures; List of tables; 1. Introduction: the good, the bad, and the godly? The laity and the established church; 2. Conformity and the church courts, c. 1570–1642; 3. The rhetoric of conformity, c. 1640–1642; 4. Sir Thomas Aston and the campaign for the established church, c. 1640–1642; 5. Parishioners, petitions, and the Prayer Book in the 1640s; 6. Conclusion: laity, clergy, and conformity in post-Reformation England; Appendix 1. Petitions for the Book of Common Prayer and episcopacy, 1640–1642; Appendix 2. Subscribing Cheshire parishes and townships, 1641; Appendix 3. Five subscribing Cheshire communities; Bibliography.

'All those who love the Church of England and are fascinated by its complex history will find things to enjoy in this book. It is a work of scholarship which lights up dark corners far beyond its apparent specialism.' Robert Runcie, The Daily Telegraph

• Acknowledgements; List of figures; List of tables; 1. Introduction: the good, the bad, and the godly? The laity and the established church; 2. Conformity and the church courts, c. 1570–1642; 3. The rhetoric of conformity, c. 1640–1642; 4. Sir Thomas Aston and the campaign for the established church, c. 1640–1642; 5. Parishioners, petitions, and the Prayer Book in the 1640s; 6. Conclusion: laity, clergy, and conformity in post-Reformation England; Appendix 1. Petitions for the Book of Common Prayer and episcopacy, 1640–1642; Appendix 2. Subscribing Cheshire parishes and townships, 1641; Appendix 3. Five subscribing Cheshire communities; Bibliography.

'All those who love the Church of England and are fascinated by its complex history will find things to enjoy in this book. It is a work of scholarship which lights up dark corners far beyond its apparent specialism.' Robert Runcie, The Daily Telegraph

• Acknowledgements; List of figures; List of tables; 1. Introduction: the good, the bad, and the godly? The laity and the established church; 2. Conformity and the church courts, c. 1570–1642; 3. The rhetoric of conformity, c. 1640–1642; 4. Sir Thomas Aston and the campaign for the established church, c. 1640–1642; 5. Parishioners, petitions, and the Prayer Book in the 1640s; 6. Conclusion: laity, clergy, and conformity in post-Reformation England; Appendix 1. Petitions for the Book of Common Prayer and episcopacy, 1640–1642; Appendix 2. Subscribing Cheshire parishes and townships, 1641; Appendix 3. Five subscribing Cheshire communities; Bibliography.