The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane by Mark Rutherford.
Chapter 1
Epigraph
The epigraph quotes Virgil's Aeneid and a Scots translation by Gawain Douglas, evoking themes of endurance through trials and the promise of a destined homeland.
Chapter 2
The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane
The chapter details the internal upheaval within the Tanner's Lane congregation following George Allen's excommunication, highlighting the power struggles, religious hypocrisy, and the personal and political tensions that drive the community apart.
Chapter 3
I: The World Outside
Zachariah Coleman, a poor printer in Clerkenwell, witnesses the departure of Louis XVIII from London amid a cheering crowd. He refuses to remove his hat, is attacked by a drayman, and is rescued by a well-dressed stranger, Major Maitland. Later, Maitland visits Zachariah's home, discusses politics, and invites him to join the 'Friends of the People'. The chapter explores Zachariah's inner life—his capacity for love, his religious faith, and his quiet heroism in enduring a joyless existence.
Chapter 4
Outside Pike Street
Major Maitland visits Zachariah's home, meets his wife, and discusses domestic life, politics, and religion. Zachariah attends a meeting of the Friends of the People Club, where debates about reform and revolution occur, and he encounters a shoemaker who challenges his views.
Chapter 5
III: The Theatre
Major Maitland invites Zachariah and his wife to the theatre to see Edmund Kean in 'Othello'. Zachariah is delayed by work, and his wife grows impatient. She ultimately leaves with the Major, leaving a ticket and note for Zachariah, which are accidentally burned. Zachariah arrives home to find them gone, feels neglected, but later goes to the theatre and is deeply moved by the performance. The next morning, the misunderstanding is cleared up, and the couple shares a rare moment of happiness.
Chapter 6
IV: A Friend of the People
The Friends of the People continue their meetings, but Zachariah grows skeptical of their progress. The Secretary is arrested for drunkenness and sedition, then brought before a Treasury Commissioner who offers him a bribe of five guineas to inform on treasonable activities. After internal struggle, the Secretary accepts the money, rationalizing his decision.
Chapter 7
V: The Horizon Widens
This chapter introduces Jean Caillaud and his daughter Pauline, French immigrants living in a cramped London court. Jean is a shoemaker and a member of the Society of the Friends of the People, working closely with Major Maitland. Pauline is intelligent, vivacious, and well-read, sharing her father's revolutionary ideas and skepticism toward organized religion. Zachariah Coleman visits their home after a meeting and is struck by Pauline's liveliness and intellect, a stark contrast to the pious, constrained women of his own Calvinist circle. He becomes increasingly preoccupied with her image, even during family worship. Meanwhile, his wife notices his distraction and suggests trying to convert the Major to their chapel.
Chapter 8
VI: Tea à la Mode
A Sunday tea party at the Colemans' brings together Zachariah, his wife, Major Maitland, Jean Caillaud, and Pauline. The conversation turns to the upcoming jubilee for the House of Brunswick, with Pauline expressing her republican and anti-Brunswick sentiments. Zachariah delivers a fervent Calvinist sermon on divine sovereignty and election, but hesitates to apply its dire conclusions to his guests. The chapter explores religious hypocrisy, political dissent, and the tension between rigid doctrine and human compassion.
Chapter 9
VII: Jephthah
The Reverend Thomas Bradshaw delivers a powerful sermon on the story of Jephthah's daughter, emphasizing God's election to suffering and sacrifice. After the service, Major Maitland is deeply moved, while Zachariah Coleman wishes the sermon had focused more on the New Testament gospel. Mrs. Coleman (Jane) briefly interacts with a friend about a tea-meeting, and the Major declines an invitation to stay, preferring to walk home alone.
Chapter 10
VIII: Unconventional Justice
In December 1814, Zachariah Coleman faces taunts from printing-office colleagues about Joanna Southcott's failed prophecy. He is preoccupied with the Friends of the People, a radical society divided over revolutionary action. Major Maitland, Caillaud, and Zachariah advocate caution and drill, warning that the middle and working classes are hostile. The Secretary, resentful after being silenced by the Major, is secretly meeting with a government agent, Mr. Hardy, who bribes him to betray the next meeting. The Major receives an anonymous warning and cancels the meeting, but the Secretary, unaware, proceeds to the rendezvous.
Chapter 11
IX: A Strain on the Cable
Zachariah Coleman, having fled to Manchester with his wife, struggles with poverty, unemployment, and a failing marriage. He wrestles with his Puritan faith, finding solace in the Book of Job and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, while his wife grows increasingly bitter and hysterical. After a fortnight, with only five shillings left, he attends a dramatic Methodist chapel service, but his domestic and economic crises deepen.
Chapter 12
Disintegration by Degrees
Zachariah settles in Manchester in early 1815, joins the Hampden Club, and drifts from organized religion as political fervor grows. By 1816, working-class suffering intensifies, and Zachariah is reunited with Major Maitland, Caillaud, and Pauline. His marriage to Mrs. Coleman becomes emotionally neutral, and she grows jealous of Pauline. The chapter explores Zachariah's inner transformation and the widening gap between him and his wife.
Chapter 13
XI: Politics and Pauline
Zachariah Coleman visits Caillaud and his daughter Pauline, where political and philosophical discussions intertwine with a dance performance. The chapter also covers the growing unrest leading to the Blanketeers' March, the debates in reform clubs, and the opposition of Major Maitland, Caillaud, and Zachariah to the march. Zachariah returns home to his wife's cold reception.
Chapter 14
XII: One Body and One Spirit
Zachariah and Mrs. Coleman quarrel over his meetings with Caillaud and Pauline. He insists on meeting at Caillaud's house, leading to a bitter argument. Later, Mrs. Coleman secretly follows Zachariah to Caillaud's and watches him and Pauline through the window. Major Maitland discovers her in the rain, escorts her home, and she falls ill.
Chapter 15
XIII: To the Greeks Foolishness
Zachariah Coleman's wife falls ill with a fever, but he must attend a club meeting finalizing plans for the Blanketeers' March. The march fails at Stockport, and Major Maitland is killed. Zachariah receives a warning to flee, and with Mrs. Carter's help, he leaves Manchester, encountering a starving weaver and finding shelter in a barn before heading to Liverpool.
Chapter 16
XIV: The School of Adversity: The Sixth Form Thereof
Zachariah awakens in the workhouse infirmary, a grim and neglectful institution. He is visited by Mrs. Carter, who rescues him and brings him to her cousin's home in Liverpool. As he recovers, he reads Ferguson's Astronomy, which shakes his religious worldview and plunges him into existential dread.
Chapter 17
End of the Beginning
Zachariah learns of Caillaud's conviction and impending execution, travels to Lancaster to see him one last time, and shares a poignant farewell with Caillaud and Pauline. After the visit, Zachariah is arrested by Nadin and imprisoned for two years. His wife dies during his imprisonment. The chapter then jumps forward to 1821, showing Zachariah and Pauline living quietly with their child, Marie Pauline Coleman.
Chapter 18
XVI: Cowfold
This chapter provides a detailed description of the town of Cowfold, its geography, daily life, social customs, and the insular yet romantic nature of its inhabitants. It contrasts the bustling North Road with the quiet, self-contained town, and reflects on how even in such a place, the great dramas of human history and romance unfold in their own way.
Chapter 19
XVII: When Wilt Thou Arise Out of Thy Sleep? Yet a Little Sleep
This chapter introduces the Reverend John Broad, minister of Tanner's Lane Chapel in Cowfold, and contrasts him with his fervent predecessor, the Reverend James Harden. Broad is depicted as a moderate, worldly, and somewhat self-indulgent pastor who manages his congregation with shrewdness. The narrative then focuses on a Monday afternoon tea between Mr. and Mrs. Broad, where they discuss their son Thomas's future. Mrs. Broad is anxious about Thomas's growing interest in young women, particularly Fanny Allen, and she manipulates the situation to have Thomas sent away to college. They decide to avoid offending the Allens by asking Fanny's brother George to pray at a meeting, thereby deflecting attention from Fanny's exclusion.
Chapter 20
A Religious Picnic
The chapter describes a summer picnic outing by the Tanner's Lane congregation to Shott Woods, focusing on the social dynamics among the Broad and Allen families. While the elders discuss farming innovations like drainage pipes, the younger members engage in flirtations and romantic maneuvering, particularly between George Allen and Priscilla Broad, and Thomas Broad and Fanny Allen. The picnic highlights the strict social hierarchies and moral constraints of Dissenting life in 1840s Cowfold.
Chapter 21
XIX: “The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like Unto Leaven”
This chapter introduces the Allen household in Cowfold, focusing on Mr. Isaac Allen, an ardent Whig and Radical, and his wife, who find solace in literature, particularly Sir Walter Scott and Byron, despite their Dissenting chapel membership. Zachariah Coleman, though estranged during his first marriage, becomes a close friend and supplies the Allens with revolutionary books. Mrs. Allen suffers from periodic need for isolation, and the Allens are viewed with suspicion by Reverend John Broad. The chapter also describes Pauline, Zachariah's daughter, who has grown into a vivacious, intelligent young woman, inheriting her mother's temperament and French vivacity, and who is deeply loved by her father.
Chapter 22
The Reverend Thomas Broad’s Exposition of Romans 8:7
Thomas Broad, a newly minted student minister, visits the Coleman household and preaches his first sermon to an indifferent rural congregation. During his visit, he makes inappropriate advances toward Pauline, who rebuffs him by cutting a cross into his hand with scissors. The chapter contrasts Broad's self-satisfied piety with the empty spiritual lives of his listeners and highlights Pauline's fierce independence.
Chapter 23
XXI: The Wisdom of the Serpent
George Allen's courtship of Priscilla Broad is discussed between the Broad and Allen families. Mrs. Broad initially opposes the match due to social and ministerial ambitions, but Mr. Broad persuades her with practical arguments about finances and influence. A meeting between Mrs. Broad and Mrs. Allen reveals mutual disappointments and class tensions, but both families ultimately consent.
Chapter 24
XXII: The Oracle Warns—After the Event
George Allen marries Priscilla Broad and moves into a cottage. The chapter explores their early married life, George's political enthusiasm for Free Trade, and his attempts to explain economic principles to Priscilla, who fails to grasp them. It also depicts a sleepless night when George's mother comforts him, and a domestic crisis when a storm floods their home due to a blocked pipe.
Chapter 25
XXIII: Further Development
Six months after the marriage, Priscilla gives birth to her first child. Nurse Barton, who attended Mrs. Allen when George was born, is engaged despite her dislike for Mrs. Broad. Mrs. Broad pronounces the baby a Flavel, and George feels increasingly sidelined as Priscilla devotes herself entirely to maternal care. George and his father-in-law Mr. Allen are active in the county election, but Mr. Broad refuses to vote, citing his ministerial neutrality. George tries to enlist Priscilla's help to persuade her father, but she is too absorbed with the baby to listen. Mr. Broad's pastoral walk and his consultation with Mrs. Broad reveal his concern for keeping Brother Bushel's support over political principle.
Chapter 26
XXIV: “I Came Not to Send Peace, but a Sword”
In this chapter, George Allen visits Zachariah and Pauline Coleman in London, where political and personal tensions surface. Zachariah expresses his belief in insurrection as a means of change, while Pauline argues for a more measured, enduring form of witness. George is troubled by his own feelings and encounters Tom Broad in the street, whose presence is explained by a letter from his father. The conversation turns to hypocrisy, with Pauline boldly calling Mr. Broad a hypocrite. Later, they attend a sermon by Mr. Bradshaw that deeply moves George, and the chapter explores the complex, multi-dimensional character of Zachariah, shaped by his radical past and personal losses.
Chapter 27
XXV: “And a Man’s Foes Shall Be They of His Own Household”
George Allen is barred from his father-in-law's house after the election riots, and his wife Priscilla is caught between her family and her husband. The chapter details the escalating political tensions in Cowfold, the violent election day clashes between orange and purple factions, and Priscilla's sudden illness and death. George is left devastated, while the Broad family continues to spy on the Allens and Zachariah Coleman.
Chapter 28
XXVI: A Professional Consultation
Three months after the election riots, the Allens have left Tanner's Lane chapel. George Allen mourns his wife and is tormented by guilt and doubt, finding no solace in religion. The Reverend John Broad convenes a private meeting with Brothers Bushel, Wainwright, and Scotton to discuss the Allens' apostasy. Broad accuses George of immoral behavior, including an intimacy with an infidel woman (Pauline), and suggests this contributed to his daughter's death. The group debates how to proceed, with Bushel advocating for summary excommunication without notice, while Scotton argues for fairness. Ultimately, Broad proposes a compromise: a letter summoning the Allens to a church meeting, with only a veiled reference to the political charges. Scotton secretly warns the Allens, who are angered by the mention of Pauline but are advised by Zachariah to remain calm.
Chapter 29
Mr. Broad's Last Church Meeting—Latimer Chapel
The chapter describes the final church meeting at Tanner's Lane, where Mr. Broad presides over a disciplinary hearing against Mr. Allen and his son George for their political activities and absence from services. The meeting ends inconclusively after Mr. Allen makes a mysterious appeal regarding Thomas Broad. Following Mr. Broad's paralysis and death, the congregation undergoes a transformation: a new minister introduces liberal theology, the chapel is rebuilt as Latimer Chapel, and many changes occur. The Allens eventually emigrate to America with George and his child, while Zachariah and Pauline's fate is left unknown.
Chapter 30
Endnotes
The endnotes provide a quotation from Gawin Douglas and a paraphrase by Dryden, offering a poetic reflection on enduring past perils and finding future good through resilience.
