Members were seen as a political and social threat that had to be suppressed.
Since the reformation, many believed that the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church threatened their freedom. Research for my debut novel taught me the many hardships Catholics faced during that time. This strong sentiment continued well into the regency era. But how did that translate to fact? What of the Catholics in England in later centuries?Īnti-Catholicism began in 16th century England with the creation of the Anglican Church. But was that the end of religious persecution in England? With Charles II as king and the monarchy restored in 1660, a new age was about to begin, and tolerance was promised. Perhaps some might know of the plight of recusants during the English Civil Wars, and even the story of Charles II's escape after the Battle of Worcester, where he was helped in his endeavours not only by a Catholic family, the Penderels, but also by a Catholic priest by the name of Father Huddleston, who was brought to Charles' bedside as he lay dying, years later, more than twenty years after the event. Most people know the story, which usually centres around Guy Fawkes, and they assume that it was he who spear-headed the attempt to blow up the houses of Parliament.Įven those who know about Robert Catesby may not be aware of the reasons which pushed him towards such drastic actions, that of the persecution of Roman Catholics in England during this period of frequent change and change-about of the official religion in England, from the early days of the Reformation, through the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer during the reign of Edward VI, onwards through the reversal of laws by Catholic Mary I, and then another change during the reign of Elizabeth I. Required television viewing for many people in the UK recently has been the BBC series Gunpowder, which tells the story of Robert Catesby and the Gunpowder Plot of of 1605.
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