Outposts of the Faith: Anglo-Catholicism in Some Rural Parishes

The Anglo-Catholic movement which flourished in the early and mid twentieth century is famed for its dedicated and heroic work in inner-city slum areas, yet little is recorded about its impact in rural areas, nor have the stories of its more flamboyant rural priests been told. "Outposts of the Faith" tells the entertaining stories of ten parishes where the Anglo-Catholic movement made a particular impact, or took a significant turn that affected the wider church and the subsequent direction of the movement. Included are the stories of a number of well known names – Athelstan Riley, Samuel Gurney, Maurice Child and Clive Beresford among others, about whom very little has previously been written. Here we meet eccentricity and devotion in equal measure – one priest who removed parts of his clerical clothing whenever the 1662 Prayer Book was mentioned, another who was shot by a parishioner, another who served the same Devon parish for 70 years.