Page "Anglican Communion" Paragraph 11

With the expansion of the British Empire, and hence the growth of Anglicanism outside Great Britain and Ireland, the Communion sought to establish new vehicles of unity.

The first major expression of this were the Lambeth Conferences of the communion's bishops, first convened by Archbishop of Canterbury Charles Longley in 1867.

From the outset, these were not intended to displace the autonomy of the emerging provinces of the Communion, but to " discuss matters of practical interest, and pronounce what we deem expedient in resolutions which may serve as safe guides to future action.