Marcus Bateman
DPhil in English Local History
Thesis
The development of Non-conformity Religion in Ipswich, Suffolk 1777-1881 and the Church of England’s response
Research abstract
Ipswich is a historic market town in Suffolk. The population grew three-fold from 11,000 in 1801 to 33,000 in 1851 and it continued to grow to reach 50,320 in 1881. Just one new Anglican church was built in the first half of the 19th century. By 1851 the Church of England in Ipswich was hanging by a thread to its status as the church of majority of Christian adherents, with its status as the established Church being questioned. The Quakers led by prominent local families provided a high-profile alternative to the established Church, with their philanthropy matching that of prominent Anglicans. The Congregationalists and Baptists expanded rapidly. Whilst all these Christian denominations shared a common faith, theological differences, tensions over the privileges of the established church and personalities resulted in a varying mixture of cooperation, competition and even opposition. Inter woven was politics, Ipswich had a period 1830-1850 of very close election results. In the 1847 general election religion was a key area of disagreement. Equally, evangelical groups in the established church had good relations and found much common ground with evangelical dissenter churches. Whilst there are many studies on individual aspects of church life, a study of Ipswich provides the opportunity to investigate how these strands interact in one place.
