This wide-ranging and original book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the Church of England in the period between 1660 and 1828. It explores the nature of the Restoration ecclesiastical regime, the character of the clerical profession, and the quality of the clergy's pastoral work, and the question of Church reform through a detailed study of the diocese of the archbishops of Canterbury. The book covers the political, economic, cultural, intellectual, and pastoral functions of the established Church and highlights the links to the Church of both earlier and later eras. The author argues that contrary to the common criticisms the Church of this period was an effective institution, with its own coherent and positive rationale.