New Book – Rookwood Family Papers

Tags

Books, history

Boydell and Brewer publishing house are pleased to announce the release of Francis Young’s new book, Rookwood Family Papers 1606-1761. Members of the CFHS will receive a 25% discount if they order before the end of the year, for the promotion code contact Sylvia Dibbs

Overview

A selection of documents left by the Suffolk Catholic family, the Rookwoods, brings them vividly to life.

The Rookwoods of Coldham Hall in the parish of Stanningfield, Suffolk, were Roman Catholic recusants whose notoriety rests on Ambrose Rookwood’s involvement in the Gunpowder Plot. In 1606 the owner of Coldham was hanged, drawn and quartered for treason for supplying the plotters with horses. A century later another Ambrose Rookwood suffered the same fate for conspiring to assassinate William III. Tainted by treason, the Rookwood family nevertheless managed to hold on to their estates in Suffolk and Essex, in spite of their Royalist sympathies in the Civil War, the recklessness of individual family members, and later adherence to the Jacobite cause – and even to thrive. As a result, the family left behind a lasting legacy in the form of the Catholic mission founded by Elizabeth Rookwood and her son in Bury St Edmunds.

The documents in this volume tell a remarkable story of resilience, survival and reinvention. They also testify to the Rookwoods’ profound Catholic faith, their patronage of the Jesuits, and their cultural and literary interests. An extensive introduction sets the Rookwoods in their historical and local context..

Francis Young is the author of, among other titles, The Gages of Hengrave and Suffolk Catholicism, 1640-1767 (2015). He is Head of Sixth Form at a public school in East Anglia.

The Letters of John Henry Newman – A Portrait – by Mgr Roderick Strange

Tags

catholic, history, Westminster

There are approximately 20,000 extant letters written by Blessed John Henry Newman. These have been gathered together in 32 volumes by the long and painstaking work of members of the Birmingham Oratory. Mgr Strange, theologian and Newman scholar, has recently published a book entitled ‘J H Newman – A Portrait in Letters’ through Oxford University Press. In this engaging and informative talk, he speaks of the demanding but richly rewarding work involved in this endeavour and he gives us some fascinating insights into the life and writings of the famous convert and Cardinal of the 19th century.

HOW TO LISTEN TO THIS TALK Playing time 73 minutes (introduction by Dr Simon P Johnson, ECHA Chairman)

Pod Cast
Click on the image above to find this talk in our free iTunes podcast. Follow the instructions given to download the talk or subscribe to the podcast

New Book on Rev Rowland Broomhead

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biography, catholic, history, Manchester

We are pleased to announce the publication of the much anticipated biography of the Reverend Rowland Broomhead, one of the key figures in the Catholic revival in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The book is the result of many years of work by Mr Peter Lupton, of Norden near Rochdale, an old boy of St Bede’s College, Manchester, and is a ‘must-buy’ for anybody interested in the restoration of the English Catholic church.

The book has been published by Gracewing and is available from their website and from all good online booksellers at the price of £20.

 

Staffordshire History Day 2015

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history, Midlands, Staffordshire

Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive service in collaboration with Keele University and the Centre for West Midland History at Birmingham University are putting on their annual Staffordshire history day  at the Kingston Centre, Stafford on Saturday 28 March 2015, 10.00am-5.00pm. Further information from Julie O’Neill, Tel. 01785 278483, email julie.oneill@Staffordshire.gov.uk

Reblogged fromthe Midland Catholic History Society

Roman Catholic Records

Tags

archives, history, registers, useful

And some more useful information from our chairman, Sylvia Dibbs:

Jim has covered the best material. Knowing the history of Catholicism in England is a very necessary prerequisite to researching Catholic ancestors.

So you will find Catholics in Anglican marriage and burial records, many of which are on commerical websites. Catholics also appear in ‘Anglican Parish Chest’ records or the local Quarter Sessions records, perhaps becuase they have broken the law in relation to their religious activities.

Some specifically Catholic records have strayed into local archives (for example in Warwickshire) and then been picked up by commercial sites, but for the most part Catholic priests and bishops have been very reluctant to release any archives in their care.

The National Archives at Kew http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/atoz/r.htm# gives some helpful guidance on what records they hold. Many state papers include lists of papists made to collect fines/taxes or lead to prosecution for following the Catholic faith. I have made a transcription of some of these which will be made available for a small fee to download through the Catholic FHS website via GENfair. So ‘watch this space’.

Some free records can be found at  http://archive.org where out of copyright books have been scanned and made available to download. Use search terms ‘papist’ ,  ‘recusant’, ‘roman catholic’ ; with a little patience there is some worthwhile material to be found here.

The Latter Day Saints http://familysearch.org is always worth trying as some Catholic names have strayed here too.

Try http://cyndislist.com.catholic too. It does give details of catholic records on the family search site from around the world and of course many English catholics emigrated.

Access to Archives at http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A gives details of archives arround England including their catalogues. For example Birmingham Archdiocesan Archives has a very good catalogue, which often gives brief details, which may be all a researcher needs.

One of the members of the Catholic Family History Society is compling a data base of as many pre-1837 Catholic names from all manner of documents as he can find. In due course he intends to put his on-line and it will be a very usefull resource. So something to look out for.

Catholic records do provide family historians with a very interesting challenge. It will be a long time before any commercial or free site makes much headway with them.

Early Modern Catholics in the British Isles and Europe: Integration or Separation? – Call for Papers

Tags

conference, history, North East

1-3 July 2015 Ushaw College, Durham

Speakers include:

• Peter Marshall (Warwick)
• Susannah Monta (Notre Dame)
• Stefania Tutino (UCSB)

Call for Papers

The aim of this interdisciplinary conference is to explore the degree to which Catholics in the British Isles were integrated with or separated from institutions, people and movements in Europe. We would also encourage proposals that address the relationships between Catholics in Europe and those in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Were Catholics in the British Isles unique and isolated in their archipelagic experiences? How much were they influenced by wider European religious and intellectual movements? To what extent were British and Irish Catholics part of wider continental phenomena?  Building on recent work on Catholic exiles, this conference will position Catholics from the British Isles within wider European movements, such as, for example, the Counter-Reformation, Gallicanism, Jansenism or the Enlightenment. The relationships and networks considered are to be explored in the widest possible framework. The timeframe is being understood in the broadest sense, from c.1530 to 1800.

Papers might explore:

• Engagement with early modern intellectual, literary, artistic, cultural, political, theological and devotional trends.
• Institutional relationships, for instance between local church figures or authorities.
• The role of British and Irish Catholic exiles in the development of European Counter-Reformation culture, and their role in transporting it to their homelands.
• The reaction of British and Irish Catholics to European Protestant developments.
• European interactions with Catholics from or in the British Isles.

We invite proposals for 20 minute communications on any related theme from any field. The organziers plan to publish a volume of essays drawn from the conference papers.

Please send proposals (c. 200 words) by email to James Kelly (james.kelly3@durham.ac.uk) by 16 January 2015 at the latest.

History of St Bede’s College, Manchester

Tags

Colleges, history, Manchester, useful

The Salford Diocesan Archives are delighted to announce the publication of the first volume of the History of St Bede’s College, Manchester.

This first volume covers the period of the rise and fall of the Commercial Business School 1876-1891, with the first chapter detailing the background of Catholic Secondary Education in Manchester & Salford 1850-1876.

The book can be purchased for £10 from the website shop

Italians Coming to the United Kingdom

Tags

history, Italian

The Catholic Gene has an article about Italian immigration to the United Kingdom. Unfortunately there hasn’t been anything new posted on this blog since March 2013, but you can read the article here.

Midland Catholic History Society

Tags

England, history, Midlands, useful

The MIDLAND CATHOLIC HISTORY SOCIETY was formed in 1996 by the merger of the Staffordshire Catholic History Society and the Worcestershire Catholic History Society. They have a program of events through the year and produce Midland Catholic History which contains articles on post-Reformation Catholic History, of interest to the general reader as well as to historians and antiquarians, and is an essential aid to the local Catholic historian.

You can find more details on their website by following this link.

Manchester Central Library

Tags

history, library, Manchester

The library reopens on 22 March. The building’s historic features have been sensitively and carefully restored, bringing the building up to the twenty-first century standards fit for a world class city. This major work will ensure the long-term survival of one of our most iconic and much loved buildings. 

Of particular interest to family historians is Archives+ which will offer a showcase and repository for archives and family history. This purpose-built centre will help to satisfy a growing demand for accessible community history and personal heritage.