This book explores how a group of nineteenth-century British historians came to terms with one of the formative periods in their nation's past--the seventeenth century in general and the era of Cromwell and the Puritans in particular. Included are well-known figures such as Macaulay and Carlyle, who are of interest to literary scholars as well as to historians, and more specialized writers such as Henry Hallam and S.R. Gardiner. The book argues that these historians found the seventeenth century problematic because of its connection with many contemporary political and, especially, religious issues.