Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857

The diocese of Hereford, divided into the archdeaconries of Hereford and Shropshire (or Salop), scarcely changed its boundaries from the early middle ages to the 1830s. It contained almost the whole of Herefordshire, a significant portion of Shropshire, and some parishes and churches in Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Worcestershire. The cathedral chapter consisted of the dean, precentor, treasurer, chancellor, archdeacons of Hereford and Shropshire, and 28 prebendaries. This volume traces the chronology and careers of the bishops, archdeacons, dignitaries and prebendaries of Hereford, many of whom were significant figures in the wider history of the English church. John Le Neve's Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae was first published in 1716 and re-edited, with later material, in 1854. It became the standard authority for identifying the higher clergy of the Church of England from the earliest times to the middle of the nineteenth century. A new edition, begun by the Institute of Historical Research in 1955, is nearing completion. The previous twelve volumes in the 1541-1857 series have been published online in the IHR's digital library, British History Online (www.british-history.ac.uk). They are free to access and can be cross-searched with a range of other primary and secondary sources for the period.