In this, the first biography of Archbishop Tait since that by his son-in-law in 1891, John Witheridge tells the story of how a Scottish outsider became the most powerful Archbishop of Canterbury since Laud. Following his upbringing in Edinburgh and his education, first in Glasgow then at Balliol, Oxford, Witheridge portrays how Tait's life was shaped by duty, diligence, illness and death. His ability to deal with controversies theological, political and ecclesiastical, as well as the personal rivalries of his contemporaries, led to his eventual appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury. While not always successful, his leadership of the Church during a period of controversy at home and challenge overseas, all accomplished against a backdrop of personal tragedy, makes him a landmark figure in the history of the Church of England.