‘The Ecclesiastical Peculiars of Huntingdonshire 1660 – 1852’ by Alan Richardson was released on 21st May 2007 at the County Records Office in Huntingdon, where the author held a successful book signing session.

Alan’s book is the result of eight years research into an area of the ecclesiastical history of Huntingdonshire, which has hitherto not been explored in any great depth. It is his hope that it will contribute in a modest way to the understanding and knowledge of the workings of an ecclesiastical system and jurisdiction, which has vanished into history.

Alan had to put the finishing touches to this book on the back burner for almost three years due to a serious illness. He said that “finishing his research and getting the book into print kept him going”.  Now the book has been released he is looking forward to starting another one. His research in writing this book also allowed him to help the County Records Offices to organise all the information they have on this subject.

The story is essentially parochial and local, but set against the background of national events relating to the Church in its relationship with both the Crown and Parliament. In short the story is a minutiae of what was happening in numerous similar peculiar jurisdictions all over England.

Alan Richardson was born in Hertfordshire and is now retired. He has been a Church of England Reader since 1991, serving in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, then since 2006 the Diocese of Lincoln. He is married with two grown up daughters.