Book contents
- Front matter
- Contents
- List of figures and tables
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on contributors
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Introduction: Church polity and politics in the British Atlantic world, c. 1635–66
- 2 ‘From the Apostles’ time’: The polity of the British episcopal churches, 1603–62
- 3 Peers, pastors and the particular church: The failure of congregational ideas in the Mersey Basin region, 1636–41
- 4 ‘One of the least things in religion’: The Welsh experience of church polity, 1640–60
- 5 Polity, discipline and theology: The importance of the covenant in Scottish presbyterianism, 1560–c. 1700
- 6 Presbyterian ecclesiologies at the Westminster assembly
- 7 ‘They agree not in opinion among themselves’: Two-kingdoms theory, ‘Erastianism’ and the Westminster assembly debate on church and state, c. 1641–48
- 8 The New England way reconsidered: An exploration of church polity and the governance of the region’s churches
- 9 The association movement and the politics of church settlement during the interregnum
- 10 Polity and peacemaking: To what extent was Richard Baxter a congregationalist?
- 11 ‘Promote, protect, prosecute’: The congregationalist divines and the establishment of church and magistrate in Cromwellian England
- 12 The Restoration episcopate and the interregnum: Autobiography, suffering and professions of faith
- Index
3 - Peers, pastors and the particular church: The failure of congregational ideas in the Mersey Basin region, 1636–41
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 March 2026
Book contents
- Front matter
- Contents
- List of figures and tables
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on contributors
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Introduction: Church polity and politics in the British Atlantic world, c. 1635–66
- 2 ‘From the Apostles’ time’: The polity of the British episcopal churches, 1603–62
- 3 Peers, pastors and the particular church: The failure of congregational ideas in the Mersey Basin region, 1636–41
- 4 ‘One of the least things in religion’: The Welsh experience of church polity, 1640–60
- 5 Polity, discipline and theology: The importance of the covenant in Scottish presbyterianism, 1560–c. 1700
- 6 Presbyterian ecclesiologies at the Westminster assembly
- 7 ‘They agree not in opinion among themselves’: Two-kingdoms theory, ‘Erastianism’ and the Westminster assembly debate on church and state, c. 1641–48
- 8 The New England way reconsidered: An exploration of church polity and the governance of the region’s churches
- 9 The association movement and the politics of church settlement during the interregnum
- 10 Polity and peacemaking: To what extent was Richard Baxter a congregationalist?
- 11 ‘Promote, protect, prosecute’: The congregationalist divines and the establishment of church and magistrate in Cromwellian England
- 12 The Restoration episcopate and the interregnum: Autobiography, suffering and professions of faith
- Index
Summary
This chapter explores the failure of congregationalist ideas to penetrate into the Mersey Basin area of Lancashire and Cheshire in the late 1630s and early 1640s. The chapter focuses on the network of godly clergymen around local aristocratic magnates, the earls of Derby and particularly Lord Strange. These clerics, led by Charles Herle, the future prolocutor of the Westminster assembly, would organise against attempts from New England ministers such as Samuel Eaton and Richard Mather to introduce congregationalist ideas into the region. As civil war broke out, both presbyterians and episcopalians would act together to protect their vision of a cohesive national Church of England from congregationalism.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Publisher: Manchester University PressFirst published in: 2026
Accessibility standard: Unknown
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this chapter is currently unknown
and may be updated in the future.