Religion and National Identity

Alistair Mutch is Professor of Information & Learning at Nottingham Business School. He combines organizational theory with business history and has published on Scottish rural and religious history. He is author of Managing Information and Knowledge in Organizations, 2008 and Strategic and Organizational Change: From Production to Retailing in UK Brewing 1950-1990, 2006.

This book is an important addition to the study of Scottish Presbyterianism and piety, with a close examination of church records that indicate the way in which administrative records not only give an account of the religious shaping of the nation, but lie at the heart of the Presbyterian identity that has marked the nation since the middle of the sixteenth century.

• Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Chapter 1: Looking for practices; The Protestant Ethic and practice; The nature of practice; Scottish religious practice; Sources; Chapter 2: The emergence of a governance system; Structure of the church; An emerging system: the seventeenth century; Consolidating the Revolution settlement; Steuart of Pardovan; Chapter 3: Presbyterial business; Business as usual in the presbytery; The parochial visitation in practice; Ministerial conduct and the demise of the visitation; Monitoring sessions at a distance; Formalisation of the letter; relaxation of the spirit; Chapter 4: The kirk session; Ministers; The Session Clerk; Elders; Deacons and Heritors; Life of the Session; Making communion happen; Chapter 5: Handling finances; Developing the money register; Record format; Using the records; Getting the money in; The poor box; The treasurer; Disputes over accountability; Chapter 6: Scottish systemic accountability; Theory and practice; Regional differences; Law and education; Monymusk; Chapter 7: Contrasts and consequences; Personal accountability in the Church of England; Contrasts with Scotland; Consequences; Bonds; Accountancy; America; Chapter 8: Conclusion; Religion as a social practice; Scotland and Presbyterianism; Appendices; Appendix 1: Contrast of visitation questions; Appendix 2: Parochial visitations in four presbyteries 1700-1735; Appendix 3: Questions asked about ministerial conduct at parochial visitations in 1710 compared to 1704 Overtures; Appendix 4: Questions asked about sessions at parochial visitations in 1710 compared to 1704 Overtures; Appendix 5: Questions at privy censures in presbytery of Cupar in 1730 compared to 1704 Overtures; Appendix 6: Parish records examined for account formats; Appendix 7: Coding structure for analysis of recording of financial transactions; Appendix 8: Account formats across five presbyteries; Primary sources; National Records of Scotland; Nottinghamshire Record Office; University of Nottingham, Manuscripts and Special Collections; Liverpool Record Office; Derbyshire Record Office; Printed primary sources; Secondary sources.