Correspondence of Archdeacon Francis Blackburne (1705-1787)

A comprehensive scholarly edition of the correspondence of the leading eighteenth-century Latitudinarian clergyman Francis Blackburne (1705-1787).Francis Blackburne (1705-1787) was among the most prominent Latitudinarian clergymen of the eighteenth century. A scholarly controversialist, his published works included The Confessional (1766), which argued influentially that the scriptures alone ought to be the standard of faith and informed the Feathers Tavern Petition of 1772, which unsuccessfully sought to have the terms of clerical subscription to the Thirty-Nine Articles removed. Unlike other petitioners, Blackburne did not secede from the Church of England, but his principles undoubtedly prevented his advancement beyond the archdeaconry of Cleveland, which he held from 1750 until his death. His correspondence, much of which is published here for the first time, is presented with extensive contextual annotations. It throws fascinating light on the religious networks, politics and intellectual debates of the age, as well as offering an informative glimpse of the social life of the Church of England in the localities.