Catholic History in Essex
Religious Faith and Conflict
The establishment of the Church of England as the state religion, created the first wave of conflict between England and Catholicism. In the sense that the Church of England rejected the Pope in Rome, it can be described as a Protestant church. Perhaps a more accurate description is that the Church of England is the English version of Catholicism modified by the Book of Common Prayer. The Reformation culminated in a second wave of conflict in England, as Protestants dissented from both the Church of England and Catholicism.
Except for two periods of sharp conflict throughout England, tensions between Catholics and Anglicans ebbed and flowed. The level of persecution depended on local authorities such as the parish priest. Catholics were often at peace with their neighbors. The general population in most places and most of the time was tolerant of Catholics.
In Essex, specifically, there were three periods of intensified persecution. From the Act of Uniformity in 1559 until 1605, Catholics were martyred. During the 15 years after 1620, Quarter Session records show that authorities were zealous to fine and intimidate those failing to attend the Anglican church. Between the English Civils Wars (1642-1651) and the last Jacobite rebellion relations between Essex and Catholics smoldered.
The five Jacobite uprisings, which occurred between 1689 and 1745, mixed up Catholicism with the politics of the monarchy. The Civil Wars were a rough time for everyone, exacerbating economic, political and religious divisions. In the Jacobite Rebellion of 1689, the mostly Catholic nobles of Scotland sought to replace the House of Hanover with the House of Stewart, adding a new Catholic dimension to societal tensions. In political debate, the Jacobite Rebellions were simplified as a conflict between Catholics and England. Jacobitism was one reason Catholics were excluded from the Act of Toleration in 1689. The Catholics of Essex were disposed to be sympathetic to the Jacobite cause due to prior land confiscation during the 17th century. The 1692 Act that imposed double taxation on Catholics further soured relations. During the first half of the 18th century, persecution of Catholics lessened as it became increasingly clear the Jacobite cause would fail.
Marriage
The establishment of a state religion mandated marriages to be performed in the presence of a clergyman of the Church of England. To avoid this requirement, nonconformists married in secret. The Marriage Act of 1753 added an additional requirement that all legal marriages had to be performed in an Anglican parish church, except for the ceremonies of Jews and Quakers which were valid under the law. Until the Marriage Act of 1836, which made it legal for Nonconformist and Papists to marry in their own places of worship, London destination weddings were popular among nonconformists, particularly among Catholics. In London, a couple could marry in a foreign embassy in secret, and then attend an Anglican ceremony to make the marriage legal.
Historical Records
Records related to recusancy are found in Quarter Session, land and tax records. Beginning in 1959 the Essex Recusant Society (aka Brentwood Diocesan Historical Society) published a series of articles which were published as volumes. The Society attempted to survey all the documents in the Essex Archives related to the Catholics of Essex, with emphasis on the years before 1800. Wood Surname of Essex has a copy of the complete set of volumes published by the Essex Recusant Society and will make them available on the website.
The National Archives in Kew maintains a research guides for Catholics and Nonconformists. These guides survey documents held in Kew, plus ones at other archives. In addition, various Catholic organizations such as the Catholic History Society and the London Recusant have published useful articles, but digging genealogical information from them is not straightforward. The Catholic History Society has many articles that can be read online. The Records Series presents “Recusant Rolls,” although “Recusant Roll No. 1,” is in Latin. Volume 6 of the Record Series, which is titled Miscellanea V, contains the register of Crondon Park. There are several commercially available indices for Births and Marriages.
The Petre Family
Photo by John S Turner, May 2003
The Petre Family were energetic supporters of Catholicism in Essex from the Acts of Supremacy until the Emancipation Act in 1829. The family, remarkably, was able to hold on to their land and not lose their heads during the 270 years of persecution. The main seats of the Petre Family were Ingatestone Hall, Writtle Park, and Thorndon Hall (Ingrave Essex or West Thorndon). The Petre family and their properties formed a hub around which Catholicism in Essex revolved. The Petre family favored Catholics with opportunities and were patrons of Catholic owned businesses. 1