A Question of Allegiance: Mistrust of Catholicism and the Prosecution of Catholics in England, 1674-1771

Abstract

Modern Westerners tend to think of the persecution of religious dissenters as being motivated by religious intolerance. This study of the records of proceedings in London's Old Bailey from 1674 to 1771, however, shows that the prosecution of Catholics at the Old Bailey had much more to do with stifling perceived political opposition than with enforcing religious orthodoxy. This is shown two ways. First, this paper contrasts the punishments given to Catholics (usually death) with those given to offenders who departed from Anglican doctrine far more drastically. These more drastic heretics were usually given far less severe punishments than Catholics, in spite of their more marked departure from doctrine. Second, this paper shows that the timing of prosecutions of Catholics coincided with outside threats to the English power structure. When Catholic uprisings or invasions, such as the Jacobite rebellions, threatened the English power structure, prosecution of Catholics increased. These two factors demonstrate that the prosecution of Catholics at London's Old Bailey were primarily motivated by political, not religious, concerns.