This easy to read and well written book by the former editor of the Church Times, provides mini biographies on five clerics of the Victorian era, who as the title suggests fought against the authority of not only the Church but also the State. All five rebelled to bring monastic or Roman Catholic rituals back to the Anglican Church of England. One of the main issues they argued about was the idea of ​​the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine surrounding the Eucharistic service. Palmer begins by reminding his readers of the ritual movement during the nineteenth century and introduces many of the main characters. contained in his book. Most Protestants in that period were shocked to discover that there were individuals intent on resurrecting Roman Catholic rituals in Anglican services. So much so that the Regulation of Public Worship Act was introduced, which became law in 1847. The Protestant Church Association was instrumental in bringing forward this act, designed to prevent the return of Catholic ritualism. Five clerics were subsequently sent to prison for ritual crimes. However, the vast majority of the public, both Christian and secular, were outraged by the incarceration of the clerics, even if they did not agree with their principles. One of the five imprisoned was Arthur Tooth, vicar of St James, Hatcham, one of the five rebels. The result of this brought the law into disrepute and Tooth's conviction was quashed on a technicality. A Royal Commission in 1906 put an end to criminal proceedings under this law; it was repealed in March 1965, after having existed for 91 years. The next five chapters contain mini biographies of the so-called rebels, including George Anth... middle of the paper... fascinating insight into the lives of these five rebels. It's a real shame that most of the book deals with their conflicts with the authorities and doesn't reveal the person behind the topic. My only wish is that there was more space to allow this to happen. However, it gave me the pleasure of looking deeper into the lives of these rebels and perhaps even researching their biographies in detail. Palmer's excellent book is a wonderful introduction to the ecclesiastical historian of the Victorian era; the Church today has its foundations shaped by these events. It must be remembered that these five rebels were just Anglicans who were doing what Anglicans have been doing since Luther's time, they were protesting. They simply did not want to conform to either their superiors in the church or the state. As Palmer writes in the epilogue, their battles were not in vain.