About Dowsing

Who was William Dowsing

William Dowsing was a puritan, living in Suffolk, England, in the seventeenth century.

In late 1643 and 1644, during the Civil War in England, he visited parish churches, breaking up pictures, crosses, crucifixes, stained glass, monumental brasses, and altar rails.

Some 250 churches in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk were subject to his attentions, as were all the Cambridge University Colleges.

Dowsing's Journal

Dowsing kept a diary, or Journal, of his activities. He lists what he destroyed in each church and chapel. This diary is unique.

The Journal was published at the end of February 2001.

On this site you can read the Journal online.

You can also find out more about the book, and how to buy it.