ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book argues that Cosmo Innes's monasteries and bishoprics for their detail and erudition, but chose to dwell at some length on his contention that monastic control of the secular clergy had severely hampered the church in fulfilling its pastoral responsibilities. It discusses correlation between the praise which his depictions of manners and customs received and the English tendency to conceptualise Scotland as little more than fodder for the romantic imagination. The book explores the sentiments expressed by the reviewer resonated with those put forward by Presbyterian historians throughout their period. It seems that, for portions of the Presbyterian mainstream at least, a positive view of Scotland's medieval church was simply incompatible with their own understanding of ecclesiastical history. The book discusses that the elements of the Scottish past on which they worked retained their value for many.
