THE POSITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ENGLAND AND WALES DURING THE LAST TWO CENTURIES: RETROSPECT AND FORECAST
London: Burns & Oates, 1892. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Blue cloth. Plates and fold-out charts. 112p. Cracking at front endpapers. Foxing throughout. Some shelf wear on spine and cover. Minor markings in text. Otherwise a clean and tight book in good condition. Preface by Lord Braye, president of the XV Club. Item #140840
In 1890 the members of the XV Club offered a prize for the best treatise on THE POSITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ENGLAND AND WALES DURING THE LAST TWO CENTURIES, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE ALLEGED PROGRESS OF THE FAITH AT THE PRESENT TIME. The club in 1891 awarded the prize to a paper entitled "One Fold and One Shepherd" by Thomas Murphy of Newcastle in Staffordshire. The club then directed the paper to be published as a book, which is what is for sale here. A little research into the XV Club turns up little relevant information. However, it is clear why Britons would commission a paper on this topic. In the 19th century, the UK finally got rid of its anti-Catholic laws, inspiring an array of historical work on the fate of Catholicism in Britain over the years of persecution following the English Reformation. This paper should be read in that context.
Price: $50.00