James Quirke

In this article James Quirke examines Roman Catholicism in Wolverhampton in the decades after the death of Bishop Milner, telling a sorry tale of agitation against immigrants but revealing much about life in 19th century Wolverhampton.

Footnote references are, for the purposes of presenting the article as web pages, given here as inline notes in square brackets.

Click on the links to individual chapters below or read the article in sequence by clicking on the "next page" symbol at the foot of this and each succeeding page.

1.   The Growth of the Catholic community in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton Catholics before 1828

Bishop Milner and the building of Ss Peter and Paul's church

The growth of Catholicism

The Irish Immigrants

The problems for the Roman Catholic church

The building of Ss Mary and John's church

The building of St. Patrick's church

Catholic convents and schools

The Catholic Friendly Society

2.   Anti-Catholic agitation in Wolverhampton

The national background

1829-45: the removal of disabilities and the fortresss chapel

The Restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy

1851: more anti-Catholic meetings

1852 & 1853: anti-Catholic meetings continue

1858:  the violence continues

1859-67:  a reduction and a recurrence of friction

The Irish Church Mission

Conclusions to this chapter

3.   The Conflict Within

The clergy versus the laity

Dissension within the clergy

Ss Mary and John: strife with the builder

Ss Mary and John:  strife with the laity

Conflicts over schools

Clashes between classes

4.   Conclusions

Conclusions to this article