A re-appraisal of the career and reputation of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, with specific reference to Scotland 1633-1640

William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (1633-1645) has gained a reputation as a figure of controversy, from his days as a fellow at St John’s College, Oxford during the early years of the reign of James I, through to the height of his career as senior ecclesiastical adviser to Charles I in the 1630s. Laud was associated with the most innovatory and increasingly unpopular religious policies implemented by Charles I in three separate kingdoms. However, while Laud’s contribution to English and Irish religious policy has been well documented, his role in Scotland remains one of the least explored aspects of his career. As a result, his intervention in the Scottish church appears to be more cautious than it was in either England or Ireland.

This thesis, therefore, seeks to construct a comprehensive account of all Laud’s interventions in and associations with Scotland from after the coronation visit in June 1633 until his house arrest in December 1640 in the opening weeks of the Long Parliament. A detailed analysis of Laud’s contribution to some of the most high profile policies put in place under Charles I in Scotland will demonstrate that where evidence of Laud’s involvement exists, it was overt and authoritarian, but that the extant evidence is often fragmented and incomplete, particularly when compared with the evidence for England and Ireland. While recent historiography has seen a shift in emphasis towards the ‘British’ dimension to Caroline religion, the focus of this thesis will be primarily on Scotland, and Scottish policy itself. In the process, it offers an untapped case study from which to examine William Laud, Charles I and their working partnership.