ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the fall of the English Christendom in New South Wales through the eyes of the first bishop, William Grant Broughton. This was a penal colony and remained a colony throughout the decline of the English Christendom in it, which did not die but faded away by a thousand cuts. Broughton’s personal baggage as a High Church man is outlined. The colonial government moved away from the church in a series of steps that related to the place of the bishop in the government, the role of the church in education and the financial aid given to the church. In shaping his church Broughton faced questions about the integrity of this episcopal order, the legitimacy of the oath of allegiance and new forms of church government in the face of a growing democratic sentiment in society. The result was a church that was local in character and lacking any determined national character.
