Religious attendance and provision in Birmingham and the Black Country and the surrounding rural areas during the mid-nineteenth century
The aim of this thesis is an investigation of religious attendance and provision in the mid-nineteenth century for the region of Birmingham and the Black Country and its surrounding rural areas. Two distinct methodologies have been employed to establish general regional patterns of religious attendance and provision and, subsequently, to assess trends of religious attendance and provision in a number of settlements within the region over a longer period of time. Firstly, the returns of the 1851 Religious Census for the whole region have been analysed in terms of settlement type and denominational distribution. This facilitated a comparison between the identified regional patterns of attendance and provision with the established national patterns. Secondly, a number of contiguous settlements within the region have been chosen in order to carry out three case studies of the period between approximately 1840 and 1860. This used alternative local sources of evidence to discover whether the patterns of religious attendance and provision identified in the previous analysis were uniform throughout the region, and to locate the findings of the 1851 Religious Census within a wider period. Therefore, in chapter one,
McPhail, John Alexander
Philosophy
Religious attendance and provision in Birmingham and the Black Country and the surrounding rural areas during the mid-nineteenth century. The aim of this thesis is an investigation of religious attendance and provision in the mid-nineteenth century for the region of Birmingham and the Black Country and its surrounding rural areas. Two distinct methodologies have been employed to establish general regional patterns of religious attendance and provision and, subsequently, to assess trends of religious attendance and provision in a number of settlements within the region over a longer period of time. Firstly, the returns of the 1851 Religious Census for the whole region have been analysed in terms of settlement type and denominational distribution. This facilitated a comparison between the identified regional patterns of attendance and provision with the established national patterns. Secondly, a number of contiguous settlements within the region have been chosen in order to carry out three case studies of the period between approximately 1840 and 1860. This used alternative local sources of evidence to discover whether the patterns of religious attendance and provision identified in the previous analysis were uniform throughout the region, and to locate the findings of the 1851 Religious Census within a wider period. Therefore, in chapter one,
religious attendance provision birmingham black country surround rural_area aim investigation religious attendance provision region birmingham black country surround rural_area two_distinct methodology_employ establish general regional_pattern religious attendance provision subsequently assess trend religious attendance provision number settlement within_region longer period_time firstly return religious census whole region analyse term settlement type denominational distribution facilitate comparison identify regional_pattern attendance provision establish national pattern secondly number contiguous settlement within_region choose order carry three_case_study period use alternative local source_evidence discover_whether pattern religious attendance provision identify previous analysis uniform throughout_region locate finding religious census within_wide period therefore