The Anglo-Catholic movement which flourished in the early and mid twentieth century is famed for its dedicated and heroic work in inner-city slum areas, yet little is recorded about its impact in rural areas, nor have the stories of its more flamboyant rural priests been told. "Outposts of the Faith" tells the entertaining stories of ten parishes where the Anglo-Catholic movement made a particular impact, or took a significant turn that affected the wider church and the subsequent direction of the movement. Included are the stories of a number of well known names - Athelstan Riley, Samuel Gurney, Maurice Child and Clive Beresford among others, about whom very little has previously been written. Here we meet eccentricity and devotion in equal measure - one priest who removed parts of his clerical clothing whenever the 1662 Prayer Book was mentioned, another who was shot by a parishioner, another who served the same Devon parish for 70 years.

In 1898 the Church of England was shaken to its roots by the then Pope's declaration that Anglican orders of ministry were 'null and void'. This threatened to create an unbridgeable gulf between the two Churches, yet some Anglicans responded creatively by demonstrating their loyalty and fidelity to Rome - the movement was known as Anglican Papalism and it laid the foundation for new respect and fresh dialogue that culminated in the friendlier message Vatican II. Anglo-Catholic readers will value this illustrated history of a small but powerful and characterful movement within Anglo-Catholicism. MICHAEL YELTON is a County Court Judge and the author of a number of legal volumes. He has also written on ecclesiastical art and furnishings. He lives in Essex.