272 pp., published by Logaston Press, 2010

ISBN 978-1906663-40-7.

by David Lloyd, Margaret Clark & Chris Potter.

This is in part a book about the physical church: its architecture, its furnishings and glass. But it is even more a book about people: those to whose lives the tombs and memorials in the church bear witness, and many others who have also played their parts in the history of St Laurence’s. The authors’ careful research has uncovered the contributions of rectors, readers and other parish clergy, as well as many a tale (not all complimentary) of parishioners and visitors to the church. From the medieval Palmers Guild to the modern Team Ministry, they have traced the story of St Laurence’s and its people. From the great harvest of information they have gathered, the authors have gleaned many insights, discerning trends in religious observance, changing attitudes to the clergy, and shifting views and allegiances among the clergy themselves. They also shed light on relations between the church and the townspeople of Ludlow, especially as represented by the Borough Corporation – all this against the dramatic backdrop of the history of the church in England through the centuries.
The work of three historians is here combined to give a lively account of St Laurence’s. All three, after careers in education, have continued research in their own fields. Margaret Clark is a Reformation historian, and chairs the Ludlow Historical Research Group. Chris Potter, past chairman of the LHRG, is a classical scholar and a specialist in the diocesan church courts. David Lloyd was founder-chairman of the LHRG and its research adviser. His doctoral thesis was on Georgian Ludlow.