The Sacred History Of Britain: Landscape, Myth And Power

The Forces that have Shaped Britain's Spirituality.

In this book, religious specialist Martin Palmer explores the spiritual heart of Britain; the people, places and events that have shaped our deepest beliefs for thousands of years.

Taking as his starting point the great earthworks and henges for which Britain is so famous, the book moves to the first stirrings of Christianity and the powerful personalities whose lives and deeds still inspire us today: Cuthbert, Alfred the Great, Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln.

Palmer documents the great upheavals that have marked Britain's history, from the Viking raids to the Norman Conquests, and from Henry VIII's break with Rome to more radical reform movements such as the Quakers and Methodists. He traces the spiritual anxiety of the Victorians and argues that the uncertainty that characterises our spiritual outlook today is not new.

Most importantly, however, he reveals that the search for the sacred is what has always driven our greatest achievements and given ultimate purpose to our lives.