Church Times

New Llanthony Abbey by Hugh Allen, published by YouCaxton, has received an excellent review in the Church Times:

‘In the midst of the burgeoning religious fervour of 19th-century Britain, the tragic-comic figure of Joseph Leycester Lyne [Fr Ignatius] must surely represent the epitome of … the “virtuoso religion” of some of its more enthusiastic and eccentric characters.  As such, a book like Hugh Allen’s has been lacking for a long time…..

The whole work is forensically researched, meticulously referenced, and fluently written – a winning combination that makes it as enjoyable as it is useful – and the footnotes are often as interesting and informative as the main body of the text.

Lyne was either a faithful thwarted prophet or a volatile pious lunatic.  Perhaps he was a heady combination of both; but Allen leaves that judgement to the reader, and does so in a masterly fashion.  This book has been well worth the wait.’