The journal of William Dowsing

the long version

"During the civil war, in late 1643 and 1644, the Suffolk Puritan William Dowsing visited nearly one hundred parish churches in Cambridgeshire, and about one hundred and fifty in Suffolk, smashing stained glass and other 'superstitious' imagery, ripping up monumental brass inscriptions, destroying altar rails and steps, and pulling down crucifixes and crosses - a campaign which included the chapels of the Cambridge colleges. His Journal is a church-by-church record of this destruction." "In this modern edition, the long-separated Cambridgeshire and Suffolk entries are published together for the first time, emphasising Dowsing's extensive coverage of the region. A detailed commentary accompanies the Journal, based on an examination of each of the churches he visited. Full use has been made of contemporary records (including those of the Cambridge colleges) to fill out the details of Dowsing's diary entries; maps and photographs graphically illustrate the range and scale of his activities." "Nine introductory chapters, backed up by detailed appendices, discuss Dowsing's work in the light of his character and beliefs, and the turmoil of his time. There are detailed reviews of his operations in Cambridgeshire and at Cambridge University, and those of his deputies over swathes of Suffolk. The evidence for neighbouring counties in East Anglia is also examined, showing that there was similar iconoclasm in parts of Norfolk, Essex, Huntingdonshire, Hertfordshire and possibly Lincolnshire." "With its vivid depiction of the destruction and alteration of church fabrics, Dowsing's Journal is a fascinating and important source of information for those who love East Anglian churches, or who have an interest in the religious conflicts of the Civil War period."--Jacket.