| Summary: | This thesis examines 528 nineteenth-century visitation returns from Oxford and its surrounding parishes. In chapter one it is established that Oxfordshire’s unusually high survival rate of these documents makes it possible, with the development of a relational database, to examine data longitudinally over an entire century. A core aim of the thesis is to establish if doing so yields significant insight. Chapter two considers the visitation itself, and how it was reformed over the century to ensure its usefulness. Chapter three is a prosopographical study of the 467 clergy listed in the returns, and identifies the mid-century as an important pivot point in discussing parochial Anglican activity. A reinvigoration — perhaps a revival of sorts — is identified over the second half of the century and University reform is found to be a crucial factor. Chapter four examines two key issues raised in the returns: inadequate room for church services and meetings, and competition from protestant nonconformity and Roman Catholicism. Despite being a significant drain on time and resources much church building took place over the century. A key reason that justified this was the building’s potential to convey a religious message of spiritual authority and value, but the ministers also made great use of lower-status structures for mission rooms and halls. At Oxford dissent and Roman Catholicism struggled during this time. Chapter five measures seating capacity, communicants, and service attendees. The figures that are calculated corroborate chapters three and four by identifying significant increases, with communion participation and church attendance rising faster as a percentage than population growth. The overall conclusion is that by the end of the nineteenth century the Church remained a substantial influence on life in the parishes of this review, more so than in the first half of the century.
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