This 1858 work was the first major publication of William Stubbs (1825–1901), who later became bishop of both Chester and Oxford. Stubbs also published highly respected and influential works on the constitutional history of England and was considered an authority on ecclesiastical history. The present work consists of a thorough chronology of the succession of the bishops of England, beginning with the consecration of Augustine of Canterbury in 597 and continuing up to 1857. Each bishop's entry includes their see, their consecrators and the sources from which this information was drawn. Wherever possible, Stubbs endeavoured to consult the original sources, and as such he was able to present more accurate dates of consecration than were previously available. The appendices include a well-annotated list of suffragan, Manx and Welsh bishops, as well as an index of each bishop, ordered by see.