Durham Cathedral and Cuthbert Tunstall: a Cathedral and its Bishop during the Reformation, 1530–1559

Durham Cathedral, often perceived as having played a marginal role during the English Reformation, was instead actively engaged in diocesan matters under Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall's conservative yet reform-oriented leadership (1530–1559). This study challenges the notion that cathedrals were irrelevant institutions by demonstrating their potential as tools for ecclesiastical reform. It reveals that both Tunstall and his evangelical successors recognized the cathedral's strategic value in reshaping diocesan governance, bridging the emerging confessional divide. The research employs historical analysis of diocesan records and episcopal correspondence to illustrate the cathedral's dynamic involvement in Reformation-era changes, offering new insights into its adaptive role during a pivotal period of religious transformation.

BIGGS, E. (2019). Durham Cathedral and Cuthbert Tunstall: a Cathedral and its Bishop during the Reformation, 1530–1559. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 71(1), 59–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022046919000605