Derek, Clive and Mrs Whitehouse

An interesting snippet on the newly released files from the DPP on Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's scatological Derek and Clive recordings in the Guardian, Monday 16th. It caught my eye since one complainant to the Home Office also sent a copy to Mary Whitehouse "who seems alone to be brave enough to stand up to public filth" - some sense here of the perceived importance of her campaigns, at least to some.
See my earlier post on last year's biopic on her.

Shortt on Williams

The debate continues about Rupert Shortt's biography of Rowan Williams, and by extension about the Archbishop himself. See a review on the moderate evangelical Fulcrum site, and ensuing discussion, almost all positive (at the time of reading.)
See also my earlier post on print reviews.

Our Times

I note several reviews of A.N. Wilson's recent study Our Times. It has a number of things to say about the state of the "national church", and gives Michael Ramsey a particular pasting. See Dominic Sandbrook in the Guardian,
D.J. Taylor in the Independent and Piers Brendon in the Times, all of whom mention Wilson's sometimes sketchy grasp of the factual detail. John Campbell in the TLS (14/1/09) goes so far as to suggest that it "poisons the wells" for serious historical work. It is interesting, however, as an example of a particular type of conservative interpretation of the period.
[The problematic nature of Wilson's reference to a national church is noted by a letter to the TLS this week. For more on conservative narratives of the period, see my review of Hugh McLeod on the sixties.]

Crown appointment of bishops

The Church Times has handily published some correspondence from 1960 between the PM and his Appointments Secretary, relating to a series of impending episcopal appointments, including Michael Ramsey's move to Canterbury and Coggan's to York.
See David Stephens to Harold Macmillan, 7 September 1960: it may save someone a trip to the National Archives.

Rowan's Rule

I note early review reactions to Rupert Shortt's new biography of Rowan Williams: from Anthony Howard in the Tablet, and A.N. Wilson in the TLS. Both are interesting for their passing reflections on the office of Archbishop.

Leo Abse

I note a number of lengthy obituaries of Leo Abse, campaigner for reform of the moral law, in the Times, Telegraph and the Guardian

The Lady Chatterley trial

Have recently read a splendid article by Mark Roodhouse on the involvement of Anglican radicals in the Chatterley trial of 1960. It explores one of the early episodes in the turn towards liberalisation of the law in the Sixties, and the limits of Anglican acquiescence and/or co-operation with it.

It's in the Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 59; 3 (July 2008), 475-500 (available online, by subscription.).