This study of England's north-eastern parts examines counties Durham and Northumberland as well as Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with its central theme the extent to which the county gentry and urban elites possessed a sense of regional identity. It concentrates on these elites' social, political, religious and cultural connections which extended beyond the purely administrative jurisdictions of the county or town. By concentrating on a series of seismic changes in the area - the demise of its great regional magnates, the rapid upsurge of the coal industry and the union of the crowns - it offers a distinctive chronological coverage, from the latter half of the sixteenth century through to the early seventeenth century. Old stereotypes of the north-eastern landed elites as isolated and backward are overturned while their response to state formation reveals their political sophistication. Traditional views of the religious conservatism of the north-eastern parts are reassessed to demonstrate its multi-faceted complexion. And contrasting cultural patterns are analysed, through ballad literature, the cult of St Cuthbert and increasing exposure to metropolitan 'civility', to reveal a series of sub-regions within the north-eastern reaches of the kingdom. Dr DIANA NEWTON is Lecturer in History at the University of Teesside.

Diana Newton provides a survey of the religious changes arising from the challenges to the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century. The book examines the political and social impact of religious change on England, Scotland and Ireland from the mid sixteenth century to the beginning of the eighteenth century. An account is given of the fate of Catholics living in a Protestant country and there is an assessment of state attitudes towards Protestant non-conformists. While concentrating on Britain, the book explores how religion and religious controversy influenced relations with the continent throughout the period. Papists, Protestants and Puritans contains a selection of primary sources.