Contemporary texts are used in this volume to illustrate key themes in the history of Nonconformity in England and Wales. Although the twentieth century was in many ways a century of decline, this book shows that there was still much life in the Nonconformist tradition. It also looks at contemporary issues such as racism and the place of women. Through contemporary writings it provides an insight into the life and thought of the English Free Churches in a century in which they expected to come into their own, only to discover that they faced new challenges and the problems of decline.
""An incredibly impressive anthology of nonconformist life and thought, which transcends the value of most documentary series. Here we have a cornucopia of nonconformity from which scholars, students, conformists and nonconformists, the pious and the impious, may all benefit.""
--Martin Fitzpatrick, co-editor of Enlightenment and Dissent

""The textual editing in all four volumes is of a very high standard.""
--Betty Hagglund, Project Development Officer for the Centre for Postgraduate Quaker Studies

""A major aid to understanding the history and character of Nonconformity.""
--Henry D. Rack, author of Reasonable Enthusiast: John Wesley and the Rise of Methodism