Sir Stephen Glynne (1807-1874) was one of the greatest church enthusiasts of his time, visiting over 5500 churches in England and Wales, and making careful notes and sketches of thier architecture, plans and furnishings.

His particular interest lay in the Gothic style and in High Church principles, as his notes make clear.

This volume contain architectural descriptions of 50 churches in the modern Cumbria (Cumberland, Westmorland, Furness), which were inspected between 1833 and 1872 in 10 or 11 visits, varying from a single night to a fortnight,

Interesting in their own right, they also provide an extremely accurate and valuable record of the fabric and fittings before their removal in restoration or in the total demolition of churches. An introduction places Sir Stephen's life and work in the wider context of developing architectural and ritual scholarship.

The text is accompanied by 60 contemporary watercolours, drawings and early photographs, the majority from record sources and published for the first time. Usually the artist or photographer shows the exterior of a church in its landscape setting, but there are engravings of interiors for urban churches and five former monasteries. Together they provide a significant contribution to the study of church architecture in Cumbria at a time of rapid change.

Before his retirement Lawrence Butler taught medieval archaeology in the universities of Leeds snd York. He sat on two diocesan committees and served as archaeological consultant to four cathedrals. In 2007 he published Sir Stephen Glynne's Yorkshire Church Notes.

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