Church Times - Eighteenth-century clerics weren’t all bad

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Eighteenth-century clerics weren’t all bad

From Canon Sally Brush
Sir, — I would like to put another view of the 18th-century clergy from Professor Norma Clarke’s (“Age of wit and hypocrisy”, Features, 29 February), having recently completed a Ph.D. based on church records during this period in North Wales.

There were certainly some “rogue” clergy, but the majority were faithful pastors taking regular services on Sundays and festivals, visiting the sick and dying, and doing the occasional offices. Many were involved in administering local charities for the poor, providing Bibles and other Christian books, writing wills and other legal documents, and generally being involved in the local community.

The majority of the population of the UK during this period lived in villages with a population of fewer than 1000, and had a local cleric to minister to them. In large towns, life was very different, and we need to be careful that we do not assume that what was happening in London was happening everywhere else — still a common problem.
SALLY BRUSH
Persondy, 1 Tyddyn Terrace
Cerrigydrudion
Corwen LL21 9TN

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Eighteenth-century clerics weren’t all bad