High Church

Portrait of Archbishop William Laud, who is a famous Anglican High Churchman.

High Church or High churchmanship within Anglicanism (as well as Lutheranism and other traditions of Christianity) is a church party that emphasizes a high view of the importance of the sacraments, church tradition, and the importance or even necessity of episcopal polity. This faction is generally opposed to Low Church, Evangelical Churchmanship, and Latitudinarian factions within the Anglican Communion.

Old High Church

Prior to the Tractarian movement, the earlier High Churchmen were more Protestant to varying degrees. Notable Old High Church bishops were: William Laud, Samuel Seabury, and E.H. Browne.

Anglo-Catholicism

During the Victorian Era, the Oxford Movement began a strain of High Churchmanship that was somewhat in continuity with older High Churchmanship, and in other ways unique in its orientation. Notable Anglo-Catholic theologians include: John Henry Newman, E.B. Pusey, and John Keble.