The Dean and Chapter of Durham, by inviting me to deliver the 1986 Durham Cathedral Lecture, first spurred me to dust off my doctoral thesis, begin repairing its numerous faults and omissions and condense it savagely in order to concentrate on Van Mildert's Durham episcopate.

My editor at Cambridge, Alex Wright, continued the crash diet, insisting that the thesis text slim off nearly half its original poundage. His interest and guidance have helped me dig through to the meaning of what I had written, and also provided the incentive to extend my researches, principally among the Jenkyns Papers. Through the stressful process of hacking out writing time from the overfull diary of a Diocesan Adult Education Adviser and Anglican committee person, I have rediscovered Van Mildert with great pleasure – particularly the parts of his life when he too was trying to fit scholarly activities into the spare time he didn't have.

Among those who have helped me with advice, information and suggestions I owe a particular debt to Arnold Bradshaw, Vice- Master and later Master of Van Mildert College, who, with great generosity, made available to me the fruits of his own researches on the uncatalogued Van Mildert Archive, then held at Van Mildert College, since transferred to Durham University Library.