An account of the revival of Catholicism in Bedfordshire from 1700 to 1900, including a selection of key documents and relevant registers.
This volume draws on a range of evidence to illustrate the revival and growth of Catholicism in Bedfordshire between 1700 and 1900. Active opposition to such a revival was only to be expected in Bunyan’s county and the volume tells how this was gradually overcome, so that by the end of the period a number of Catholic churches had been well established across the county. Their growth is illustrated by the detailed baptism, marriage and death registers for Shefford (1770s-1850s), Bedford (1860s-1900) and Leighton Buzzard (1890s-1900), that are included and that provide an invaluable source of information about the make-up of the congregations. The account is also enriched by the inclusion of key original documents, correspondence, visitation reports and newspaper accounts.
We can also see the contributions made to this growth by national and local individuals, from trades people to members of the nobility, who contributed to the building of a number of local churches and the support of the clergy. The county also became the home of a small diocesan theological college and a nationally recognised boys’ orphanage and home. The invaluable work of members of the clergy is examined, along with their contribution to reducing the longstanding anti-Catholicism that had existed across the county. Much remained to be done, but much had also been accomplished.
Table of Content
Preliminaries
Illustrations
Tables
Foreword (Bishop of Northampton)
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Primary and secondary sources
Introductory notes
1. Introduction and religious background
2. Catholicism in early eighteenth century England
3. Moving slowly towards liberalism
4. Shefford, ‘a cheerful and pleasantly situated town’
5. The national context and issues of legal equality
6. Ups and downs in Bedfordshire
7. Fresh fields and new harvests
8. ‘Orphans and ordinands’
9. Elsewhere in Bedfordshire
10. Education and schools
11. The end of a beginning
Registers:
Shefford, early mission registers 1770s-1859
Bedford, The Church of the Holy Child and St Joseph, registers 1864-1900
Leighton Buzzard registers, 1895 – 1900
Bibliography
Indexes
About the author
PETER DOYLE has published widely on Roman Catholic history of the British Isles in both books and academic articles. He is also an experienced editor, having been for some years principal editor of the Catholic Record Society (crs.org.uk); he is currently on its editorial board and those of the North West Catholic History Society and the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
225,989 Ebooks in this category
