Sarah Mitchell
England has a long history of anti-Catholic sentiment, which can be traced back to the English Reformation when King Henry VIII broke ties with the Catholic Church and established the Church of England, declaring himself the supreme head on earth of the Church in England instead of the Pope. This set off a series of events that often made it difficult, dangerous, and at times illegal to practice Catholicism in England.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year Catholicism became illegal in England | 1534 |
| Year Catholicism became legal in England | 1791 |
| Year civil rights were restored to Catholics | 1829 |
| Year the Act of Settlement was passed | 1701 |
| Year the Act of Settlement was amended | 2013 |
| Year the Penal Laws were passed | Mid-16th century |
| Year the Toleration Act was passed | 1689 |
| Year the Bill of Rights was passed | 1689 |
| Year the Act of Supremacy was repealed | 1554 |
| Year a new Act of Supremacy was passed | 1559 |
| Year the Act of Uniformity was passed | 1559 |
| Year the Second Statute of Repeal was passed | 1555 |
| Year the Religious Settlement was passed | 1559 |
| Year the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales claimed 6.2 million members | 2025 |
| Percentage of population in England and Wales that is Catholic | 9.6% |
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What You'll Learn
The Act of Supremacy 1534
The Act of Supremacy was one of the first major events of the English Reformation, which saw Protestantism replace Roman Catholicism as the established religion in England. The Act asserted England's independence from papal authority, withdrawing support for the authority of the Pope and the Catholic Church. It also required an oath of loyalty from English subjects, recognising Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn.
The Act of Supremacy was repealed in 1554 under Queen Mary I, Henry VIII's staunchly Catholic daughter. She reinstituted Catholicism as England's state religion and executed many Protestants. However, this was short-lived, as upon her death in 1558, her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth I, succeeded to the throne. A new Act of Supremacy was passed in 1559, declaring Elizabeth as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This act instituted an Oath of Supremacy, requiring allegiance to the monarch as the head of both Church and state.
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Anti-Catholic feeling in the 1800s
In the 1800s, anti-Catholic feeling in England was still prevalent, although it had diminished since the previous century. Catholics in England had dwindled to a minority since the end of Elizabeth I's reign in 1603, and the issue of Catholic emancipation—the move to end restrictions on Roman Catholics holding public office—was a contentious political issue.
In the late 18th century and early 19th century, the process of Catholic emancipation in the United Kingdom involved dismantling the restrictions on Catholics introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts, and the penal laws. The most significant measure was the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829, which removed the most substantial restrictions on Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom. However, the Act of Settlement of 1701 and the Bill of Rights of 1689 still required the monarch to be Protestant and not married to a Catholic.
In the early 1800s, Irish Catholics threw their support behind sympathetic Protestants, as their co-religionists could not swear the oaths required to take a seat in parliament. Daniel O'Connell, a Catholic lawyer, emerged as the leader of a mass movement, the Catholic Association, which became a force the government could not stop.
In the mid-19th century, anti-Catholic sentiment was expressed in Charles Kingsley's 1853 novel "Hypatia", which was aimed at the embattled Catholic minority in England, who had recently emerged from a half-illegal status. The establishment of new Catholic episcopates and a Catholic conversion drive awakened fears of 'papal aggression', and relations between the Catholic Church and the establishment remained strained.
By the end of the 19th century, anti-Catholic sentiment was still present, with one contemporary writing that "the prevailing opinion of the religious people I knew and loved was that Roman Catholic worship is idolatry, and that it was better to be an Atheist than a Papist".
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Catholic emancipation attempts
Catholic emancipation, or Catholic relief, was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom, that aimed to reduce and remove the restrictions on Roman Catholics. These restrictions had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts, and the penal laws, which discriminated against non-Anglicans, particularly Catholics. The Act of Supremacy 1534, for instance, declared the English crown as "the only supreme head on earth of the Church in England", replacing the Pope. Any act of allegiance to the latter was considered treasonous.
The first Relief Act was passed in 1778, enabling Roman Catholics in Britain to acquire real property, such as land. Similar legislation was enacted in Ireland in 1774, 1778, and 1782. The Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1791 allowed the free practice of Catholicism in Britain, albeit with substantial restrictions. In Ireland, the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1793 granted Irish Roman Catholics the franchise and admission to most civil offices, as well as the right to vote.
In the early 19th century, Irish lawyer and orator Daniel O'Connell began to mobilize the Irish Roman Catholic community to agitate for full emancipation. He formed the Catholic Association in 1823, which soon boasted hundreds of thousands of members. In 1828, O'Connell stood for election in County Clare, Ireland, and was elected despite being unable to take his seat in Parliament due to his Catholicism. This forced the issue of Catholic emancipation, as O'Connell refused to take his seat until the anti-Catholic oath required of MPs was abolished.
Fearing insurrection in Ireland, Sir Robert Peel drafted the Relief Bill of 1829 and guided it through the House of Commons. The Duke of Wellington, the Prime Minister, threatened to resign to overcome the opposition of King George IV and the House of Lords. The bill passed and became law, removing many of the remaining substantial restrictions on Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This included repealing the sacramental tests that barred Catholics from Parliament and higher offices of the judiciary and state. The minimum property qualification for voters was, however, increased, disenfranchising the majority of the Irish electorate.
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Penal Laws
It was not always illegal to be Catholic in England, but there were periods in history when practising Catholicism, or any other religion apart from the established Church of England, was dangerous and could lead to severe penalties. The Penal Laws were a series of laws enacted in the 16th and 17th centuries that imposed penalties and restrictions on Roman Catholics and, to a lesser extent, on Protestant nonconformists. These laws were designed to discredit and suppress Catholicism and to ensure the supremacy of the Protestant religion and the monarch as the head of the Church of England.
The Penal Laws emerged during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603), who enacted a series of statutes that became the foundation for later penal legislation. These early laws targeted Catholic clergy and sought to disrupt the structure of the Catholic Church in England. For example, the 1571 Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Act prohibited Catholics from converting Protestants and banned Catholic mass, with a penalty of imprisonment for the celebrant and fines or imprisonment for those who attended. The Popish Recusants Act of 1593 required all citizens to take an oath of allegiance, recognising the monarch as the head of the Church, and imposed fines for those who failed to comply.
More severe laws were enacted under King James I and King Charles I, particularly after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which was a failed attempt by a group of Catholic conspirators to assassinate the Protestant King James and members of Parliament. The Popish Recusants Act of 1605 increased the fines for non-attendance at Anglican services and required Catholics to pay one-tenth of their property value annually. During the reign of Charles I, the 1625 Act of Circumcision required all male infants to be circumcised in the Church of England, and the 1636 Canon Law made it a capital offence for any priest to say mass or for anyone over the age of 16 to fail to take Communion in an Anglican church.
The most severe Penal Laws were enacted after the English Civil War, during the Interregnum period (1649-1660) when Parliament was dominated by Puritans. The 1650 Act of Settlement imposed the death penalty for any Catholic priest found in England, and any Catholic who converted a Protestant was to be punished by imprisonment and forfeiture of property. The 1653 Quaker Act made it illegal to practise Quakerism, with offenders subject to confiscation of property and imprisonment.
The situation improved for Catholics with the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, as King Charles II was more tolerant of Catholicism. However, it was not until the late 17th and early 18th centuries that many of the Penal Laws were repealed or modified to be less harsh. The Papists Act of 1778, also known as the Catholic Relief Act, was a significant milestone, as it allowed Catholics to own property, inherit land, and join the army, provided they swore an oath of allegiance to the monarch.
In summary, the Penal Laws of England sought to marginalise and suppress Catholicism, and to a certain extent other non-conformist religions, during the 16th and 17th centuries. These laws imposed restrictions and penalties, ranging from fines and imprisonment to the death penalty, in an effort to uphold the dominance of the Church of England and the monarch as its head. It was a tumultuous time for religious minorities in England, and the Penal Laws had a significant impact on the lives and freedoms of Catholics until their gradual repeal and the emergence of greater religious tolerance in the 18th century.
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Catholic worship ban
The Catholic Church in England and Wales, dating back to the 6th century, has had a long and complex history. The country's religious landscape underwent significant changes in the 16th century, with the English Reformation initiated by King Henry VIII, who declared himself the “supreme head on earth of the Church in England” in 1534, severing ties with the Pope and the Catholic Church. This marked the beginning of a tumultuous period for Catholics in England, who faced increasing discrimination and persecution.
During the reign of King Henry VIII, the Act of Supremacy was enacted in 1534, solidifying the English monarch's position as the head of the Church of England. This act considered any allegiance to the Pope as treasonous, setting the tone for the challenging times ahead for Catholics. Henry VIII's short-lived experiment with Protestantism under his son Edward VI (1547-1553) further distanced the country from Catholic influence.
However, a brief return to Catholicism occurred under Henry VIII's elder daughter, Mary I (1553-1558). Mary, also known as "Bloody Mary," was determined to restore Catholicism in England and executed approximately 300 Protestants during her reign. This period witnessed a reconnection with the See of Rome and an effort to re-establish Catholic practices.
The pendulum swung back towards Protestantism with the accession of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558. Elizabeth's Religious Settlement of 1559 broke ties with the Catholic Church once again and made worship in the Church of England compulsory. The Act of Supremacy was reinstated, and the Act of Uniformity ensured that Anglican services were obligatory. Those who refused to conform, including Catholics, were fined and physically punished as recusants.
The Penal Laws, enacted by Parliament, further discriminated against Catholics, who were considered enemies of the state due to their recognition of the Pope's authority over the monarch. This period also saw the enactment of the Bill of Rights in 1689, which declared that no future monarch could be Catholic or married to a Catholic. The Act of Settlement of 1701 reaffirmed this provision and excluded Catholics from the line of succession to the throne.
The ban on Catholic worship in England lasted for 232 years, finally being lifted in 1791 with the Catholic Relief Act. During this prolonged period of prohibition, Catholics faced legislative restrictions, fines, and physical punishments. They were excluded from public office and subjected to double taxation. The Emancipation Act of 1829 was a significant step forward, restoring most civil rights to Catholics. Nonetheless, anti-Catholic sentiment persisted, fueled by events such as the Maynooth Grant in 1845 and the re-establishment of the Catholic ecclesiastical hierarchy in England in 1850.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, after the Reformation in the mid-16th century, when Protestantism replaced Catholicism as the official religion of England, it was illegal to be Catholic for 232 years. The ban on Catholic worship was lifted in 1791.
Catholics were considered enemies of the state and were persecuted. They were forced to go underground and seek academic training in Catholic Europe. The government placed legislative restrictions on Catholics, some of which lasted until the 20th century.
Yes, Parliament passed a series of laws known as the Penal Laws, which discriminated against non-Anglicans, particularly Catholics. These laws excluded Catholics from public office and prevented them from practising their religion openly.
Yes, in addition to legal discrimination and persecution, Catholics were also subject to anti-Catholic sentiment and propaganda. They were often portrayed as traitors or threats to the state, and this sentiment was stoked by newspapers and influential figures.
