"This book is meant to contribute to the history of one segment of the legal profession, that which was occupied by English ecclesiastical lawyers. It deals with their lives and professional careers from the time a system of ecclesiastical courts, in which most of them practised, came into existence in the 13th century up to the time of the curtailment of the scope of ecclesiastical jurisdiction that occurred towards the end of the 19th century. It pays particular attention to the years between 1500 and 1640, when the character and future of the courts in which they served was called seriously into question but nonetheless survived, only to be abolished during the Interregnum and then brought back to life in the 1660s"--