Beating against the Wind

"This work is a social history of religion in colonial Newfoundland and Labrador that focuses on the career of Edward Feild, Anglican bishop from 1844 to 1876, as a way of exploring the interaction between religious authority and popular spirituality in the context of British colonialism. Feild was an acolyte of Tractarianism (a movement of High Church Anglicans that originated at Oxford University in the 1830s) and, during his lengthy tenure as bishop, attempted to introduce Tractarian theology and practices into the colony. He met considerable resistance from the local population, however, many of whom adhered to more Evangelical forms of Protestantism and resented the imposition of the colonial church hierarchy on their patterns of worship and religious life. This study endeavours to explain the popular resistance to Feild's initiatives and the reasons for, and consequences of, his failures. In so doing, Hollett challenges the traditional view of Bishop Field's stint as bishop of Newfoundland, which has tended to mphasise his successes. The study is structured geographically, with chapters devoted to each of the regions of Newfoundland and Labrador where Feild engaged in missionary activities. The argument is supported by extensive archival research, including against-the-grain readings of official church publications, periodicals, correspondence, and other sources, allowing for a detailed and nuanced analysis of the local controversies and conflicts from the perspective of the parishioners in each region. At the same time, Bishop Feild's experience in Newfoundland is part of a much larger story about religion and the British Empire, and as such it has relevance beyond Newfoundland. It should be of interest not only to historians of Newfoundland but also to historians of religion (especially of Anglicanism and Protestantism) and historians of the British Empire."--