[Ely Announce] History of Diocese booklet now available

[Owen Spencer-Thomas]

History of Diocese Now Available
A booklet, commissioned to mark the 900th anniversary of the Diocese of Ely, goes on sale this month.  The 52 page booklet entitled '900 years of worship in the Diocese of Ely' and written by local historians John Ison and Lynne Turner tells a fascinating story that has relevance far beyond the faithfulness of the Christian community it records.  



The account begins with the foundation of the Ely Diocese in 1109 and the consecration of its first Bishop.  The booklet records the growth of the Diocese in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, which was brought to a sudden halt by the Black Death and its widespread devastation.  It outlines the impact of the Dissolution of the Monasteries on our region, and the austere lifestyle imposed by the Puritans during Oliver Cromwell's rule. 



Taking a look at each of the 15 deaneries in turn, the booklet also highlights a fund of remarkable and some quirky local stories that have been chronicled over the years.  It explains how St Neots came to be named after the saint who worked miracles with animals, why one of our churches lost its altar when the cricket team needed a table from which to keep the score and how the novelist Dorothy Sayers came to know the Cambridgeshire Fens so well.  



Above all this readable publication pays tribute to those who shaped our local communities and built our impressive churches.  



This booklet, costing £3 a copy plus postage and packing, is available at the Diocesan Office from Jackie Cox. 



Telephone 01353 653701.  Email: jackie.cox at office.ely.anglican.org  

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Owen Spencer-Thomas                                                     
52 Windsor Road
Cambridge
CB4 3JN

Phone:  01223 358448
Mobile:  07801 492151

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