Welsh Journals

both Welsh and English for those who wish to explore the subject, never one "to capture the imagination of Welsh historians" according to Judith Loades, in greater detail. The modest price of £ 3.50 would, however, be good value for the last fifteen pages of this pamphlet alone, which comprise a detailed bibliography of the published work of Professor Glanmor Williams from 1946 until the present day. It is an eloquent tribute to the scholarship and activity of the man who deserves the accolade of the doyen of ecclesiastical historians in Wales, as the great majority of the books, articles and papers listed here concern aspects of the church history of the principality. Professor Williams will be contributing another title to this Headstart series, Wales and the Act of Union. Meanwhile we have this essay on the Reformation to learn from and to enjoy. JRG Roger L Brown, Lord Powis and the Extension of the Episcopate. Tair Eglwys Press, Cardiff. 1989. 98pp. ISBN 0948780 07 X. Price £ 3.00. This stimulating study brings to our notice an important parlia- mentary campaign which saved the dioceses of St Asaph and Bangor from losing their separate identities and being merged in the 1840s. An episode which in some ways was a precursor of the disestablishment conflict. The campaign and its fields of conflict are clearly described and based on the author's ability to assemble all the relevant sources and enter sympathetically into the discussion of the issues involved. We are given an under- standing of the functions of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and their powers to work through Orders in Council: a body described as "bureaucratic, capable and cold" as some of the principal actors, Sir Robert Peel, the duke of Wellington, Archbishop Howley of Canterbury and Bishop Blomfield of London. The major role was played by Edward, second earl of Powis, wise, persistent and in the end victorious in a contest which lasted a decade. His achievements were remarkable, innovative and longlasting. He brought the question of the episcopate into the open and found a solution which in the end was acceptable to all parties and determined the way ahead. Not all bishops need take their seats immediately in the House of Lords. The leadership expected of the episcopate was pastoral rather than political. Money which had previously been tied to supplement the bishop's income was redistributed to aleviate the condition of poorer incumbents. The Church in Wales was able to benefit from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to further its revival. The church in the diocese of St Asaph was brought together by Dean Luxmoore, Archdeacon