Sumner was the last of the great post-Reformation Bishops of Winchester. He chose to live at Farnham Castle with his family rather than in London or Winchester and became a well-loved local figure. He brought an energy and ability to his role which harked back to the great days of the medieval bishops.

No biography of Sumner has been written since the nineteenth century until now. The Right Revd. Dr Christopher Herbert, himself a bishop and the ideal author to tackle the subject, has written a comprehensive account of Charles Sumner, explaining his role in secular and church politics as well as in debates over theology. Like Cobbett, Sumner’s influence extended far beyond Farnham. The book explains how this was so