It explores the foundations of ecclesiastical law and considers its crucial role in the development of the Church of England over the centuries.

The law has often been the site of major political and theological controversies, within and outside the church, including the Reformation itself, the English civil war, the Restoration and rise of religious toleration, the impact of the industrial revolution, the ritualist disputes of the 19th century, and the rise of secularisation in the twentieth. The book examines key statutes, canons, case-law, and other instruments in fields such as church governance and ministry, doctrine and liturgy, rites of passage (from baptism to burial) and church property.

Each chapter studies a broadly 50-year period, analysing it in terms of continuity and change, explaining the laws by reference to politics and theology, and evaluating the significance of the legal landmarks for the development of church law and its place in wider English society.

Morag Ellis KC, has assisted Paul Barber in authoring the chapter entitled The Elizabethan Settlement: 1558-1603.
Morag is the Dean of the Arches and Auditor, the senior permanent judge in the Church of England, as well as KC Church Commissioner. In her secular practice, she is widely recognised as a leading expert in planning and local government law in England and Wales, with a wide-ranging practice covering all aspects of development.  

Mark Hill KC has authored the chapter titled Change and Decay - The Twilight Years of an Established Church.
Mark is recognised as pre-eminent in the field of ecclesiastical law and religious liberty. He has represented clients in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, as well in the European Court of Human Rights, other international courts and tribunals, and the ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England. Mark is the Chancellor of the Dioceses of Chichester, Leeds and Europe.

The Legal History of the Church of England is published by Bloomsbury.