Examines the controversy that led to the passage of legislation governing religious instruction in Britain and Scotland in the 1870s. Attempting to satisfy an unwieldy mix of denominations, politicians, and secularists, the legislation severely constricted religious instruction in England and Wales and left it almost untouched in Scotland. (MJP)

Focuses on the 1870 British Education Act's impact on English and Welsh schools. Discusses three philosophical and political collaborators involved in the 1870 Act: William Edward Forester, Earl de Grey of Ripon, and Henry Austin Bruce. Concludes that they significantly impacted the 1860s education initiatives as well as the Education Act. (KDR)