Poor Relief and the Church in Scotland, 1560–1650. John McCallum. Scottish Religious Cultures Historical Perspective. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018. xii + 268 pp. £75

• Published in: Renaissance Quarterly Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 330 - 332
• Main Author: Tapscott, Elizabeth
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01.04.2021
• Subjects: McCallum, John; Religion; Renaissance period; Scotland

In addition to challenging numerous assumptions, Poor Relief and the Church in Scotland uncovers a softer image of the kirk sessions, so often associated with strict discipline and the regulation of morality. Unlike most studies of relief, which address the later decades of the early modern era or f...