Richard William Enraght
Encyclopedia
Richard William Enraght SSC
(February 23, 1837 – September 21, 1898) was an Irish-born Church of England
priest of the late nineteenth century. He was influenced by the Oxford Movement
and was included amongst the priests commonly called “Second Generation” Anglo-Catholics.
Fr. Enraght believed ritualism in worship was essential for adherence to the Church of England’s Catholic tradition. His religious practices and publications on Catholic worship and Church-State relationship led him into conflict with church authorities and were prosecuted under the Public Worship Regulation Act.
Enraght's practices included adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
, the use of eucharistic candles, wearing of chasuble
and alb
, the use of wafer bread in Holy Communion, the ceremonial mixing of water and communion wine, making the sign of the Cross
towards the congregation during the Holy Communion service, bowing his head at the Gloria
, and allowing the Agnus Dei to be sung, all of which his Bishop forbade. These practices resulted in Fr. Enraght being prosecuted by the Church Association
's lawyers and at trial by the presiding Judge, Lord Penzance
.
Fr. Enraght refused to attend his own trial
on grounds of conscience. He was found guilty and received the maximum penalty under the Act: arrest, imprisonment and dismissal from his parish. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church states, “This attempt at suppressing Ritualism so discredited the Act (in fact it created Anglo-Catholic martyrs) that it led to its being regarded as virtually obsolete.” In 2006, the Brighton & Hove
City Council honoured Enraght as a “Priest, fighter for religious freedom.”
in County Londonderry
, Ireland. At the age of 23, in 1860, he graduated with Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, Dublin
. The following year he was ordained a Deacon
at Gloucester Cathedral
by the Bishop of Gloucester
and Bristol
(these two dioceses were combined between 1836–1897). He served as a Curate
at St Bartholomew Church, Corsham
, Wiltshire
, and was ordained into the priesthood in 1862.
in 1864. Here he revealed his commitment to the Anglo-Catholic cause in the pamphlets, “To The Poor The Gospel is Preached” in which he criticised the “pew-rent” system for barring the poor from Churches throughout the Country. He also criticised “Bible
-Ritualism” that is, over-reliance on scriptural authority for aspects of ceremonial worship. From Sheffield he moved to Wrawby, Brigg
in Lincolnshire
for one year in 1866 to continue his ministry. In 1867 Fr. Enraght travelled to the south coast of England to take up a curacy under Fr. Arthur Wagner, the nationally known Tractarian Vicar of St Paul's Church, Brighton
and "Father" of the Catholic Revival in Brighton
.
.
In Anglo-Catholic circles, Brighton became associated with London, as in the collective title of "London-Brighton and South Coast Religion", a play on a railway company’s name “London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
”. The railway, coincidentally or otherwise, linked all the large and growing centres of Anglo-Catholic worship spreading from London to Brighton and then east and west along coast of Sussex
to the neighbouring counties of Kent
and Hampshire
.
Fr. Wagner held Tractarian opinions since his time at Cambridge University. He was the leading light of the Catholic Revival in Brighton, with prolific church and school building, and generous charitable works of building 400 houses for the poor, all at his own expense.
Fr. Wagner was the subject of critical debates in the House of Commons
for his liturgical practices. Legislation was proposed to halt the Catholic Revival in Brighton by taking away Fr. Wagner’s authority to install Anglo-Catholic priests as Vicar
s in the 5 churches which he had financed.
The local press and the Brighton Protestant Defence Association (the forerunner of the Church Association
) created a hostile reception of ritualistic priests. The Brighton Gazette was vitriolic about any clergy who adhered to the English Catholic Tradition. In 1873 the newspaper reported critically that Fr. Wagner had refused in court to answer questions that would “involve him to breach the confessional”. Following this article, Fr. Wagner was physically assaulted on the streets of Brighton. His assailants went to prison. Fr. Wagner, characteristically, supported their wives and families at his own expense. Fr Wagner was not the only priest to suffer violence in Brighton. Fr Thomas Perry, from the most advanced ritualist Church in Brighton, St Michael & All Angels
, stood alone at a Brighton public meeting and defended Fr Wagner’s cause. He too was to suffer at the hands of the mob by being beaten-up for his courageous stance..
In another parish in Brighton, at St James Church, Fr. John Purchas
was prosecuted for using vestments and the eastward position. His trial at the Court of Arches took three years to conclude, and he refused to attend it. It resulted in the Church of England's paying £7,661 in total costs as Fr. Purchas had placed all his property into his wife's name. He was unable to pay the costs of £2,096 the Court awarded against him. To appreciate the scale of these costs, a house in Portslade
could be rented for £13 a year in 1872.
While serving under Fr. Wagner and sharing his Anglo-Catholic views, Fr. Enraght wrote the pamphlet "Who are True Churchmen and Who are Conspirators?". It was distributed nationally. In The Last Settlement of English Reformation in 1662
, he stated that he had proved that the English Church was both Catholic
and Reformed
.
Fr. Enraght clearly directed his text at the Church Association to counter their campaign against Anglo-Catholic priests:
The Union Review, Literary Churchman, Church Review and Church Times
gave positive reviews to Enraght's essay "Who are True Churchmen and Who are Conspirators".
In 1871, after serving as a Curate
to Fr. Arthur Wagner, the Vicar of St Paul's Brighton, Reverend Richard William Enraght continued his ministry at St Andrew Church Portslade by Sea. He was appointed Priest in Charge of the District Church of St Andrew
Portslade by Sea by the Vicar of St Nicolas Church, Portslade
who, at that time, held the patronage
of St Andrews. Fr. Enraght’s appointment was not without controversy.
The vicar of the neighboring Parish of Southwick
appealed to the Bishop of Chichester
. He questioned the authority of the Vicar of Portslade
to make the appointment of a priest to Portslade by Sea.
As Portslade was only three miles from Brighton with good railway links, Fr. Enraght SSC
was able to continue as an officer of the Brighton Branch of the Society of the Holy Cross
. This was described by its national leadership “as one of the most promising [branches] and was carrying on a vigorous campaign in Brighton.” While living in Brighton and Portslade, Fr. Enraght also served as the Organising Secretary for the National Association for the Promotion of Freedom of Worship and campaigned for the abolition of "pew
-rents." St Andrew Church Portslade (built in 1864), was one of the first churches in Sussex never to have had "pew-rents".
In Portslade, Fr. Enraght continued to publish pamphlets and letters to The Brighton Gazette promoting adherence to the English Catholic Tradition within the Church of England. As priest in charge
of Portslade by Sea, Fr. Enraght published the pamphlets "Catholic Worship", that promoted the importance and necessity of ritual in worship, and the "The Real Presence
and Holy Scripture
", which the Church Times described as "A masterly exposition of the texts which more directly relate to the Blessed Eucharist
".
Such writings put Enraght in confrontation with the Brighton Gazette, a local paper that supported the Public Worship Regulation Act and tried to ensure no hint of ritualism took place in local worship. The Brighton Gazette’s editorial of 8 January 1874 was titled "Protestant Reaction", and sub-titled, ‘a warning to polemic
s’ from which these quotes are taken;
"True Protestants can scarcely desire the loss of power and influence this would involve and the great help it would be to the Papists to re-establish their supremacy in Britain, through the Ritualists." The Gazette also accused Fr. Enraght of Puseyism (used here as a term of abuse) and of trying to turn the local St Nicolas Church School in Portslade into a Puseyite school.
Another example of the Gazette's biased reporting, for Thursday 21 May 1874:
In 1874 the Government, under the leadership of Disraeli, with the backing of both Primates
and many Bishop
s, decided to crush ritualism in the Church of England by passing the Public Worship Regulation Act to control religious belief.
Fr. Wagner, Fr. Purchas, Fr. Enraght and the many other Brighton Anglo-Catholic priests all carried out their ministries to large sympathetic congregations. Against the backdrop of public support for Anglo-Catholic priests the local press continued in their campaign to use the Public Worship Regulation Act to rid ritualism from the churches of Brighton. From the Brighton Gazette's editorial for 23 April 1874 on the topic of the Public Worship Regulation Act, quote, "Let us have the law obeyed and let there be an easy mode of redress from offending clergyman".
In the winter of 1874 Fr. Enraght left Portslade to take on a new challenge in the City of Birmingham as Vicar of Holy Trinity, Bordesley, an area much like Brighton where the Church Association were very active. Portslade was a good stepping stone in Fr. Enraght's ministry as this was his first Parish where he had sole responsibility for the parishioners and being so close to Brighton he was able to maintain his links with the Brighton Branch of the SSC
and with his former Vicar, Fr. Wagner.
In 1874 at Holy Trinity, Bordesley, the Rev. Richard William Enraght succeeded a man who was a Tractarian. In addition, he was friends with two neighboring Birmingham priests who celebrated Anglo-Catholic tradition, James and Thomas Pollock. The Pollock brothers and Fr. Enraght were all graduates of Trinity College, Dublin
.
An indication of Fr. Enraght’s popularity was the attendances of Sunday morning Holy Communion services, with a congregation of between 400 to 500. The Sunday Evensong with sermon often regularly attracted 700 to 800 parishioners. With his parish’s support, Fr. Enraght introduced weekday celebrations of Holy Communion
. He added to the life and beauty of the services, and demonstrated a hearty loving kindness that made the vicarage and its residents most deeply loved. There were no aggrieved parishioners, not one of these parishioners complained of the services or wished them altered.
The Church Association, a radical group of Protestants who had unlimited funds to mount prosecutions, were active in Birmingham as they had been in Brighton. The Church Association sought to separate priests from their congregations by registering its members in these parishes. By then registering complaints as “aggrieved parishioners”, they could bring about the prosecution of clergy under the new PWR Act. In one parish in the north of England, the Association bribed parishioners to speak out against their priest; in one instance, a churchwarden was offered £10,000 to give evidence. That amount was a fortune in the Victorian era
.
The Church Association was aggressive in its goal to uphold the Principles and Order of the United Church of England and Ireland.'’ It fought ritualism by legal action in many localities. Bishop Magee
(a non-ritualistic Bishop and future Archbishop of York
) called the Church Association, the "Persecution Company Limited". They employed special agents to seek out ritualist priests. Other opponents of the Church Association called it "the Church Ass".
In London, the situation was no better. Fr. Charles Fuge Lowder
, the founder of the Society of the Holy Cross
, was threatened with prosecution under the Public Worship Regulation Act. Intervention by the Archbishop of Canterbury saved him from legal action. The Archbishop feared the reaction to such a high-profile Anglo-Catholic's being put on trial.
, the use of eucharistic candles, wearing the chasuble
and alb
, using wafers in Holy Communion, ceremonial mixing of water and communion wine, making the sign of the Cross
towards the congregation during the Holy Communion service, bowing his head at the Gloria
, and allowing the Agnus Dei to be sung. All of these actions were prohibited by his Bishop Dr. Philpott. forbade. These illegal practices resulted in Fr. Enraght having to face the full force of the Law from its defenders, the Church Association's lawyers and the presiding Judge, Lord Penzance
.
Fr. Enraght argued:
Fr. Enraght refused to attend his own trial on 12 July 1879 on the grounds:
He was convicted n his absence on 9 August 1879 on 16 counts of breaking the Law under the PWR Act. Judge Lord Penzance
was presiding at the Arches Court
.
Fr. Enraght's prosecution was known nationally as the “ Bordesley Wafer Case”, for one of the elements. Here is how evidence was collected:
At the next vestry election, indignant parishioners rejected Mr. Perkins when nominated as churchwarden.
On 27 November 1880, Fr. Enraght was arrested at his vicarage
and taken to Warwick
Prison to serve his sentence.
On arrival at Warwick Prison after the train journey:-
"As we drew near the prison gate, the vicar let down his cassock
so that he might enter as a Priest. At the gate he shook hands with us all, Dr. Nicholson saying, "Let us give him the blessing before he enters", and there, upon the damp stones, the prisoner knelt, and the white-haired doctor, with uplifted hand, pronounced the most solemn benediction I think I ever heard.
So ended the arrest of one of the best men who ever suffered for his Master
, and the impression it has left upon our minds seems to be "disestablishment", for it is too great a price to pay for the advantages of being united to the State."
A Mr. G. Wakelin’s recollected events of Fr. Enraght’s arrest and imprisonment:
The persecution of English priests over these issues captured international attention, especially in the United States where the Oxford Movement had attracted many followers. On 19 December 1880 Revd Dr. Ewer, S.T.D., preached a sermon in St. Ignatius Church, New York, on "The Imprisonment of English Priests for Conscience Sake". He described Enraght's stand "as simply a determined resistance to a violation of the 'Magna Charta'." Ewer was "proud to make common cause with them, so far as is possible, from this distance, and feeling that when one member of the Catholic Church suffers, all the members suffer with him." Ewer's sermon was printed in full in the New York Herald
and New York Tribune
the following day. Four other priests in England also served prison sentences under the PWR Act: Arthur Tooth
, T. Pelham Dale
, Sidney Faithorn Green
and James Bell Cox. The Conference of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
in the USA sent a letter of support, "to express the sympathy of the Conference for Fr. R.W.Enraght in his incarceration for conscience’s sake."
In England, the Revd Prof. Edward Bouverie Pusey
wrote a letter to the editor of The Times
in which he defended both Fr. Enraght and Fr. Alexander Heriot Mackonochie
. He said, "They have not been struggling for themselves but for their people. The Ritualists do not ask to interfere with devotion of others ….only to be allowed, in their worship of God, to use a Ritual which a few years ago no one disputed." As Fr. Enraght was imprisoned over the Christmas period, he was gratified to receive letters of support and goodwill from his own and former parishioners around the country, as well as Christmas cards from children in Bordesley.
, which greatly annoyed Archbishop Tait
.
Through failure of an appeal to the House of Lords
, in May 1882 Fr. Enraght became liable to another term of imprisonment. Three months later, under the provisions of the PWR Act, church authorities declared the benefice of Holy Trinity, Bordesley as vacant, although it was still canonically held by Fr. Enraght. In March 1883 Bishop Philpott revoked Fr. Enraght's licence and appointed another clergyman to the benefice
, against the wishes of the congregation.
Following Fr. Enraght’s dismissal and his family's eviction from Holy Trinity vicarage by order of Bishop Philpott, a crowded meeting of the congregation was held in the Highgate
Board School, on March 28, to say good-bye. Parishioners had taken up a collection which they gave to Fr. and Mrs. Enraght in appreciation.
When Bishop Philpott preached at Holy Trinity two months later on 6 May 1883, the churchwarden
s handed him a formal protest condemning the removal of Enraght and stating that "We, the truly aggrieved, have been left as sheep without a shepherd." They implied that the actions of Rev. Watt (Enraght's replacement) to tone down ritual had led to a significant reduction in the size of congregation.
The Royal Commission
of 1881 studied the issues and made a report in 1883 that marked a historic turning point for the Church of England. It led to abandonment of the effort to repress ritualism. The ritualists’ acts of civil disobedience and resulting jail terms had both embarrassed Low church Evangelicals and cemented an alliance with moderate High Church priests. The unity of the Church was threatened if officials continued efforts against ritualism. Archbishop Tait subordinated his concerns for national opinion and devoted himself to mending his ecclesiastical bridges.
After Fr. Enraght's eviction from Holy Trinity, Bordesley, he worked for the next nine years of his ministry in east London. He served at St Michael
Church Bromley by Bow from 1884–1888 and St Gabriel
Church Poplar
from 1888-1895.
In 1895 he arrived at his final Parish of St Swithun Church Bintree
, after being presented to the benefice
by Lord Hastings. He ended his ministry and life in a quiet country parish in Norfolk. Those who knew him could bear witness to his kind and helpful life as priest and friend to all his people, and those who were witnesses of his arrest and imprisonment would never forget the solemnity and pathos of that event.
Fr. Enraght died on St Matthew’s Day, September 21, 1898, and was buried at the south east end of St Swithun’s churchyard, Bintree. His grave is that of a “Confessor
” (someone who suffered for the faith, while not dying for it). The two windows of the Lady chapel
, depicting the Annunciation
of Our Lady, are dedicated to Fr. Enraght. A statue of St. Swithun above the porch is inscribed: “It is placed as a memorial
to a great and good priest Richard William Enraght.”
Throughout Fr. Enraght’s ministry, his wife Dorothea played an active part in church life wherever he served. She stood by him through the times of prosecution, imprisonment and the family’s eviction from their Bordesley vicarage. In this period of hardship, the Church Union’s
Sustentation Fund supported Fr. Enraght and his family.
In 1896 Fr. Enraght had the joy of seeing his son Hawtrey ordained a priest in Norfolk
. Shortly after Fr. Richard Enraght’s death, his widow Dorothea and daughter Grace moved to Walsingham, where Grace married the Revd Edgar Reeves, the Vicar of Walsingham
.
Fr. Hawtrey Enraght served as Vicar of St Helen’s Ranworth
. The altar in the north parclose
was dedicated to his father. In later life his ministry took him to St Margaret’s Lowestoft
. For his long and dedicated service to his Diocese of Norwich
, the Revd Hawtrey Enraght was awarded the honorary title of Canon
in 1928.
In 1933, the Catholic Literature Association issued the following tribute to Fr. Richard Enraght and the four other priests who had been imprisoned:
In 1933 Marcus Donovan wrote:
A modern-day commentary on the events that surrounded the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874
comes from the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: “This attempt at suppressing Ritualism so discredited the Act (in fact it created Anglo-Catholic martyrs) that it led to its being regarded as virtually obsolete.” Despite not being used, the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 was kept on the statute books for 89 years until repeal in the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure of 1963.
In February 2006, the Brighton newspaper The Argus
, reported that Brighton & Hove
City Council had accepted the name of Fr. Richard Enraght, whom they described as a “Priest, fighter for religious freedom”, as a candidate for a blue plaque
to be erected in his memory on his former home in Station Road, Portslade. In September 2006, Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company
honoured Fr. Richard Enraght by naming one of their new fleet buses, No.905 after him.
)
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
(February 23, 1837 – September 21, 1898) was an Irish-born Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
priest of the late nineteenth century. He was influenced by the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
and was included amongst the priests commonly called “Second Generation” Anglo-Catholics.
Fr. Enraght believed ritualism in worship was essential for adherence to the Church of England’s Catholic tradition. His religious practices and publications on Catholic worship and Church-State relationship led him into conflict with church authorities and were prosecuted under the Public Worship Regulation Act.
Enraght's practices included adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
, the use of eucharistic candles, wearing of chasuble
Chasuble
The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian Churches that use full vestments, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, as well as in some parts of the United Methodist Church...
and alb
Alb
The alb , one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and many Protestant churches, is an ample white garment coming down to the ankles and usually girdled with a cincture. It is simply the long linen tunic used by the Romans...
, the use of wafer bread in Holy Communion, the ceremonial mixing of water and communion wine, making the sign of the Cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
towards the congregation during the Holy Communion service, bowing his head at the Gloria
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
, and allowing the Agnus Dei to be sung, all of which his Bishop forbade. These practices resulted in Fr. Enraght being prosecuted by the Church Association
Church Association
The Church Association was an English evangelical Anglican organisation, founded in 1865.It was particularly active in opposition to Anglo-Catholicism, Ritualism and the Oxford Movement.Founded in 1865 by Richard P...
's lawyers and at trial by the presiding Judge, Lord Penzance
James Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance
James Plaisted Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance was a noted British judge and rose breeder who was also a proponent of the Baconian theory that the works usually attributed to William Shakespeare were in fact authored by Francis Bacon....
.
Fr. Enraght refused to attend his own trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
on grounds of conscience. He was found guilty and received the maximum penalty under the Act: arrest, imprisonment and dismissal from his parish. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church states, “This attempt at suppressing Ritualism so discredited the Act (in fact it created Anglo-Catholic martyrs) that it led to its being regarded as virtually obsolete.” In 2006, the Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority area and city on the south coast of England. It is England's most populous seaside resort.In 1997 Brighton and Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium...
City Council honoured Enraght as a “Priest, fighter for religious freedom.”
Early life and work
Little is known of Richard Enraght’s early life; he was born on the February 23, 1837 at MoneymoreMoneymore
Moneymore is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,369 in the 2001 Census.It is an example of a Plantation village in Mid-Ulster. It was the first town in Ulster to have piped water.-Geography:...
in County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Ireland. At the age of 23, in 1860, he graduated with Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. The following year he was ordained a Deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
at Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
by the Bishop of Gloucester
Bishop of Gloucester
The Bishop of Gloucester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire and has its see in the City of Gloucester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church...
and Bristol
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...
(these two dioceses were combined between 1836–1897). He served as a Curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St Bartholomew Church, Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, and was ordained into the priesthood in 1862.
Career
After spending three years at Corsham, Enraght continued his ministry at St Luke the Evangelist, SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in 1864. Here he revealed his commitment to the Anglo-Catholic cause in the pamphlets, “To The Poor The Gospel is Preached” in which he criticised the “pew-rent” system for barring the poor from Churches throughout the Country. He also criticised “Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
-Ritualism” that is, over-reliance on scriptural authority for aspects of ceremonial worship. From Sheffield he moved to Wrawby, Brigg
Brigg
Brigg is a small market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in 2,213 households . The town lies at the junction of the River Ancholme and east-west transport routes across northern Lincolnshire...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
for one year in 1866 to continue his ministry. In 1867 Fr. Enraght travelled to the south coast of England to take up a curacy under Fr. Arthur Wagner, the nationally known Tractarian Vicar of St Paul's Church, Brighton
St Paul's Church, Brighton
St Paul's Church, dedicated to the missionary and Apostle to the Gentiles Paul of Tarsus, is a Church of England parish church in Brighton in the English county of Sussex. It is located on West Street in the city centre, close to the seafront and the main shopping areas.-History and...
and "Father" of the Catholic Revival in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
.
Brighton and "the South Coast Religion"
The Anglican Church in Brighton was heavily influenced by the Oxford Movement, to an extent unparalleled elsewhere in the country apart from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In Anglo-Catholic circles, Brighton became associated with London, as in the collective title of "London-Brighton and South Coast Religion", a play on a railway company’s name “London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
”. The railway, coincidentally or otherwise, linked all the large and growing centres of Anglo-Catholic worship spreading from London to Brighton and then east and west along coast of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
to the neighbouring counties of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
Fr. Wagner held Tractarian opinions since his time at Cambridge University. He was the leading light of the Catholic Revival in Brighton, with prolific church and school building, and generous charitable works of building 400 houses for the poor, all at his own expense.
Fr. Wagner was the subject of critical debates in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
for his liturgical practices. Legislation was proposed to halt the Catholic Revival in Brighton by taking away Fr. Wagner’s authority to install Anglo-Catholic priests as Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
s in the 5 churches which he had financed.
The local press and the Brighton Protestant Defence Association (the forerunner of the Church Association
Church Association
The Church Association was an English evangelical Anglican organisation, founded in 1865.It was particularly active in opposition to Anglo-Catholicism, Ritualism and the Oxford Movement.Founded in 1865 by Richard P...
) created a hostile reception of ritualistic priests. The Brighton Gazette was vitriolic about any clergy who adhered to the English Catholic Tradition. In 1873 the newspaper reported critically that Fr. Wagner had refused in court to answer questions that would “involve him to breach the confessional”. Following this article, Fr. Wagner was physically assaulted on the streets of Brighton. His assailants went to prison. Fr. Wagner, characteristically, supported their wives and families at his own expense. Fr Wagner was not the only priest to suffer violence in Brighton. Fr Thomas Perry, from the most advanced ritualist Church in Brighton, St Michael & All Angels
St Michael's Church, Brighton
St. Michael's Church is an Anglican church in Brighton, England, dating from the mid-Victorian era. Located on Victoria Road in the Montpelier area, to the east of Montpelier Road, it is one of the largest churches in the city of Brighton and Hove...
, stood alone at a Brighton public meeting and defended Fr Wagner’s cause. He too was to suffer at the hands of the mob by being beaten-up for his courageous stance..
In another parish in Brighton, at St James Church, Fr. John Purchas
John Purchas
John Purchas, , was an author and a priest of Church of England who was prosecuted for ritualist practices. He received his education at Bury St Edmunds, Rugby School and Christ's College, Cambridge...
was prosecuted for using vestments and the eastward position. His trial at the Court of Arches took three years to conclude, and he refused to attend it. It resulted in the Church of England's paying £7,661 in total costs as Fr. Purchas had placed all his property into his wife's name. He was unable to pay the costs of £2,096 the Court awarded against him. To appreciate the scale of these costs, a house in Portslade
Portslade
Portslade is the name of an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Portslade Village, the original settlement a mile inland to the north, was built up in the 16th century...
could be rented for £13 a year in 1872.
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, he stated that he had proved that the English Church was both Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
and Reformed
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
.
Fr. Enraght clearly directed his text at the Church Association to counter their campaign against Anglo-Catholic priests:
"I have now, then, I think, sufficiently demonstrated what I undertook to prove. I have proved that the last Revision and Settlement in 1662Book of Common PrayerThe Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
of the Formularies of the English ChurchAnglican doctrineAnglican doctrine is the body of Christian teachings used to guide the religious and moral practices of Anglicans.-Approach to doctrine:...
, by which the Bishops and Clergy are bound, both by their OrdinationOrdinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
promises and by Act of ParliamentAct of ParliamentAn Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, was distinctly Catholic. I have proved, therefore, that the Catholic-minded clergy of the English Church alone are in the right, that the charge of “Romanizing” and unfaithfulness to their Church, so persistently brought against them because of their faithful adherence to Catholic truth and practice, is a grievous slander, and that the only consistent course for their opponents to adopt—in order, if they can, to put themselves in the right—is to endeavour to get the Formularies of the Church altered in a “Protestant” direction, and so to alter the basis on which we now stand. Until this be accomplished, which God forbid! Catholic-minded Churchmen, and they only, truly represent the mind of the English Church. All others are simply, more or less, conspirators against “the principles of the” English “Reformation” in its latest, and therefore most carefully considered, development. Consequently, it is obvious that the efforts so strenuously made in the present day by nominal Churchmen of PuritanPuritanThe Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
sentiments to persecute and, if possible, put down the Catholic-minded clergy of the English Church, under a pretended zeal for the principles of the English ReformationEnglish ReformationThe English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, wear an appearance of gross hypocrisy. Puritans, ever since the first dawn of “the Reformation,” have been in the Church of England only on sufferance. If any are to be restrained, it must not be those clergy who loyally carry out the principles of the Church which the RevisersSavoy ConferenceThe Savoy Conference of 1661 was a significant liturgical discussion that took place, after the Restoration of Charles II, in an attempt to effect a reconciliation within the Church of England.-Proceedings:...
of 1662 so strenuously maintained against all attacks, but any who (although many of them holding position and preferment within the Church) use their position and influence, contrary to their OrdinationOrdinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
promises, to carry out the work of the Nonconformists of 1662, and undermine the Reformation principles for which the Revisers of 1662 contended, and which they have preserved in the Formularies of the Church."
The Union Review, Literary Churchman, Church Review and Church Times
Church Times
The Church Times is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper. It is published in the United Kingdom on Fridays.The Church Times was founded in 1863 to campaign for Anglo-Catholic principles and has always been independent of the Church of England hierarchy. It was a family concern The Church Times...
gave positive reviews to Enraght's essay "Who are True Churchmen and Who are Conspirators".
Priest in charge of Portslade by Sea
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
to Fr. Arthur Wagner, the Vicar of St Paul's Brighton, Reverend Richard William Enraght continued his ministry at St Andrew Church Portslade by Sea. He was appointed Priest in Charge of the District Church of St Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
Portslade by Sea by the Vicar of St Nicolas Church, Portslade
St Nicolas Church, Portslade
St Nicolas Church is an Anglican church in the Portslade area of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has 12th-century origins, and serves the old village of Portslade, inland from the mostly 19th-century Portslade-by-Sea area.-History:...
who, at that time, held the patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of St Andrews. Fr. Enraght’s appointment was not without controversy.
The vicar of the neighboring Parish of Southwick
Southwick, West Sussex
Southwick is a small town and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England located three miles west of Brighton and a suburb of the East Sussex resort City of Brighton & Hove...
appealed to the Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
. He questioned the authority of the Vicar of Portslade
Portslade
Portslade is the name of an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Portslade Village, the original settlement a mile inland to the north, was built up in the 16th century...
to make the appointment of a priest to Portslade by Sea.
As Portslade was only three miles from Brighton with good railway links, Fr. Enraght SSC
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
was able to continue as an officer of the Brighton Branch of the Society of the Holy Cross
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
. This was described by its national leadership “as one of the most promising [branches] and was carrying on a vigorous campaign in Brighton.” While living in Brighton and Portslade, Fr. Enraght also served as the Organising Secretary for the National Association for the Promotion of Freedom of Worship and campaigned for the abolition of "pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
-rents." St Andrew Church Portslade (built in 1864), was one of the first churches in Sussex never to have had "pew-rents".
In Portslade, Fr. Enraght continued to publish pamphlets and letters to The Brighton Gazette promoting adherence to the English Catholic Tradition within the Church of England. As priest in charge
Priest in charge
A priest in charge or priest-in-charge is a priest in charge of a parish who does not receive the temporalities of the parish. He or she is not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, simply holds a licence rather than freehold and is not appointed by advowson.The appointment of priests in...
of Portslade by Sea, Fr. Enraght published the pamphlets "Catholic Worship", that promoted the importance and necessity of ritual in worship, and the "The Real Presence
Real Presence
Real Presence is a term used in various Christian traditions to express belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was previously just bread and wine, and not merely present in symbol, a figure of speech , or by his power .Not all Christian traditions accept this dogma...
and Holy Scripture
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
", which the Church Times described as "A masterly exposition of the texts which more directly relate to the Blessed Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
".
Such writings put Enraght in confrontation with the Brighton Gazette, a local paper that supported the Public Worship Regulation Act and tried to ensure no hint of ritualism took place in local worship. The Brighton Gazette’s editorial of 8 January 1874 was titled "Protestant Reaction", and sub-titled, ‘a warning to polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
s’ from which these quotes are taken;
"True Protestants can scarcely desire the loss of power and influence this would involve and the great help it would be to the Papists to re-establish their supremacy in Britain, through the Ritualists." The Gazette also accused Fr. Enraght of Puseyism (used here as a term of abuse) and of trying to turn the local St Nicolas Church School in Portslade into a Puseyite school.
Another example of the Gazette's biased reporting, for Thursday 21 May 1874:
- The Revd R. W. Enraght of Portslade has given notice of his intentions to hold a “Retreat”-our readers will not have forgotten what sort of things these “retreats” are - at Lancing College in August next. The rev. gentleman’s name appears in the roll of the Confraternity of the Blessed SacramentConfraternity of the Blessed SacramentThe Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional society in the Anglican Communion dedicated to venerating the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist...
for 1872, so that here we get another peep into the interior economy of those notorious “WoodardNathaniel WoodardNathaniel Woodard was a priest in the Church of England. He founded 11 schools for the middle classes in England whose aim was to provide education based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith...
Schools”, of which Lancing CollegeLancing CollegeLancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
is the headquarters.
In 1874 the Government, under the leadership of Disraeli, with the backing of both Primates
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
and many Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s, decided to crush ritualism in the Church of England by passing the Public Worship Regulation Act to control religious belief.
Fr. Wagner, Fr. Purchas, Fr. Enraght and the many other Brighton Anglo-Catholic priests all carried out their ministries to large sympathetic congregations. Against the backdrop of public support for Anglo-Catholic priests the local press continued in their campaign to use the Public Worship Regulation Act to rid ritualism from the churches of Brighton. From the Brighton Gazette's editorial for 23 April 1874 on the topic of the Public Worship Regulation Act, quote, "Let us have the law obeyed and let there be an easy mode of redress from offending clergyman".
In the winter of 1874 Fr. Enraght left Portslade to take on a new challenge in the City of Birmingham as Vicar of Holy Trinity, Bordesley, an area much like Brighton where the Church Association were very active. Portslade was a good stepping stone in Fr. Enraght's ministry as this was his first Parish where he had sole responsibility for the parishioners and being so close to Brighton he was able to maintain his links with the Brighton Branch of the SSC
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
and with his former Vicar, Fr. Wagner.
Bordesley, Birmingham and London
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
An indication of Fr. Enraght’s popularity was the attendances of Sunday morning Holy Communion services, with a congregation of between 400 to 500. The Sunday Evensong with sermon often regularly attracted 700 to 800 parishioners. With his parish’s support, Fr. Enraght introduced weekday celebrations of Holy Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. He added to the life and beauty of the services, and demonstrated a hearty loving kindness that made the vicarage and its residents most deeply loved. There were no aggrieved parishioners, not one of these parishioners complained of the services or wished them altered.
The Church Association, a radical group of Protestants who had unlimited funds to mount prosecutions, were active in Birmingham as they had been in Brighton. The Church Association sought to separate priests from their congregations by registering its members in these parishes. By then registering complaints as “aggrieved parishioners”, they could bring about the prosecution of clergy under the new PWR Act. In one parish in the north of England, the Association bribed parishioners to speak out against their priest; in one instance, a churchwarden was offered £10,000 to give evidence. That amount was a fortune in the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
.
The Church Association was aggressive in its goal to uphold the Principles and Order of the United Church of England and Ireland.'’ It fought ritualism by legal action in many localities. Bishop Magee
William Connor Magee
William Connor Magee was an Irish clergyman of the Anglican church, Archbishop of York for a short period in 1891.-Life:...
(a non-ritualistic Bishop and future Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
) called the Church Association, the "Persecution Company Limited". They employed special agents to seek out ritualist priests. Other opponents of the Church Association called it "the Church Ass".
In London, the situation was no better. Fr. Charles Fuge Lowder
Charles Fuge Lowder
Charles Fuge Lowder was a priest of the Church of England. He was the founder of the Society of the Holy Cross, a society for Anglo-Catholic priests.-Early life:...
, the founder of the Society of the Holy Cross
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
, was threatened with prosecution under the Public Worship Regulation Act. Intervention by the Archbishop of Canterbury saved him from legal action. The Archbishop feared the reaction to such a high-profile Anglo-Catholic's being put on trial.
Prosecution
Fr. Enraght practices at Holy Trinity, Bordesley, included adoration of the Blessed SacramentBlessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
, the use of eucharistic candles, wearing the chasuble
Chasuble
The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian Churches that use full vestments, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, as well as in some parts of the United Methodist Church...
and alb
Alb
The alb , one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and many Protestant churches, is an ample white garment coming down to the ankles and usually girdled with a cincture. It is simply the long linen tunic used by the Romans...
, using wafers in Holy Communion, ceremonial mixing of water and communion wine, making the sign of the Cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
towards the congregation during the Holy Communion service, bowing his head at the Gloria
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
, and allowing the Agnus Dei to be sung. All of these actions were prohibited by his Bishop Dr. Philpott. forbade. These illegal practices resulted in Fr. Enraght having to face the full force of the Law from its defenders, the Church Association's lawyers and the presiding Judge, Lord Penzance
James Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance
James Plaisted Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance was a noted British judge and rose breeder who was also a proponent of the Baconian theory that the works usually attributed to William Shakespeare were in fact authored by Francis Bacon....
.
If the English Church be true portion of the one Catholic Church of Christ is it not only reasonable that her Church buildings and services should resemble those of other branches of the Church Catholic."
Fr. Enraght refused to attend his own trial on 12 July 1879 on the grounds:
as I could not recognize Lord Penzance or his court, which derives its authority - not from "this Church and Realm", but solely from an Act of Parliament, as having any spiritual jurisdiction over me, I was unable conscientiously to defend myself before it.”
He was convicted n his absence on 9 August 1879 on 16 counts of breaking the Law under the PWR Act. Judge Lord Penzance
James Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance
James Plaisted Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance was a noted British judge and rose breeder who was also a proponent of the Baconian theory that the works usually attributed to William Shakespeare were in fact authored by Francis Bacon....
was presiding at the Arches Court
Arches Court
The Arches Court, presided over by the Dean of Arches, is an ecclesiastical court of the Church of England covering the Province of Canterbury. Its equivalent in the Province of York is the Chancery Court.-Provincial Court:...
.
Fr. Enraght's prosecution was known nationally as the “ Bordesley Wafer Case”, for one of the elements. Here is how evidence was collected:
On August 31, 1879, Mr. Enraght denounced from the altar the conduct of a person who, on February 9, had carried off from the altar a Consecrated Wafer, obtained under the pretence of communicating, in order to file It as an exhibit in the law courts as evidence of the use of wafer-bread. A feeling of intense horror and indignation was excited when the fact of this fearful sacrilegeSacrilegeSacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object. In a less proper sense, any transgression against the virtue of religion would be a sacrilege. It can come in the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things...
became known. It was difficult to credit the fact that a Consecrated Wafer, after having been sacrilegiously secreted by a pretended communicant, had actually been delivered to Mr. ChurchwardenChurchwardenA churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
Perkins, the prosecutor, produced in Court as evidence, marked with pen and ink and filed as an exhibit! Thanks to some members of the Council of English Church Union, the Consecrated Wafer was obtained from the court and given over to the care of the Archbishop of CanterburyArchibald Campbell TaitArchibald Campbell Tait was a priest in the Church of England and an Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tait was educated at the Royal High School and at the Edinburgh Academy, where he was twice elected dux. His parents were Presbyterian but he early turned towards the...
, who reverently consumed It in his private chapel at AddingtonAddington PalaceAddington Palace is an 18th century mansion in Addington near Croydon, South London, England.-History:The original manor house called 'Addington Place' was built about the 16th century....
on Friday December 12, 1879.
At the next vestry election, indignant parishioners rejected Mr. Perkins when nominated as churchwarden.
Imprisonment
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
and taken to Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
Prison to serve his sentence.
On arrival at Warwick Prison after the train journey:-
"As we drew near the prison gate, the vicar let down his cassock
Cassock
The cassock, an item of clerical clothing, is an ankle-length robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, Lutheran Church and some ministers and ordained officers of Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Ankle-length garment is the meaning of the...
so that he might enter as a Priest. At the gate he shook hands with us all, Dr. Nicholson saying, "Let us give him the blessing before he enters", and there, upon the damp stones, the prisoner knelt, and the white-haired doctor, with uplifted hand, pronounced the most solemn benediction I think I ever heard.
So ended the arrest of one of the best men who ever suffered for his Master
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, and the impression it has left upon our minds seems to be "disestablishment", for it is too great a price to pay for the advantages of being united to the State."
A Mr. G. Wakelin’s recollected events of Fr. Enraght’s arrest and imprisonment:
“To describe his leaving the vicarage where his people had ever found in himself and Mrs. Enraght helpers in all times of need and trouble, is beyond my power; most pathetic and touching was the going to Warwick Prison. His friends and even those who had to carry out the sentence, were far more touched and overcome than was the vicar himself, who went through it with a calm fixed patience, with thorough cheerfulness and resignation. The Governor of Warwick Prison, who was no High ChurchmanHigh churchThe term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
, said of Fr. Enraght to one of his visitors: "The sooner that gentleman is out, sir, the better, for he is altogether in the wrong place." For nearly two months he was kept in Warwick Prison, and during that time a great meeting was held, when Birmingham Town HallBirmingham Town HallBirmingham Town Hall is a Grade I listed concert and meeting venue in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It was created as a home for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival established in 1784, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the General Hospital, after St Philip's Church became...
was filled from end to end, and so many came from far and near to protest against the imprisonment; the singing of the "Church's one Foundation" at the end was something impressive and touching.”
The persecution of English priests over these issues captured international attention, especially in the United States where the Oxford Movement had attracted many followers. On 19 December 1880 Revd Dr. Ewer, S.T.D., preached a sermon in St. Ignatius Church, New York, on "The Imprisonment of English Priests for Conscience Sake". He described Enraght's stand "as simply a determined resistance to a violation of the 'Magna Charta'." Ewer was "proud to make common cause with them, so far as is possible, from this distance, and feeling that when one member of the Catholic Church suffers, all the members suffer with him." Ewer's sermon was printed in full in the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
and New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
the following day. Four other priests in England also served prison sentences under the PWR Act: Arthur Tooth
Arthur Tooth
Arthur Tooth SSC was a Ritualist priest in the Church of England and a member of the Society of the Holy Cross . Tooth is best known for having been prosecuted in 1876 under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 for using proscribed liturgical practices...
, T. Pelham Dale
T. Pelham Dale
Thomas Pelham Dale was an English Anglo-Catholic ritualist clergyman, most famous for being prosecuted and imprisoned for ritualist practices-Biography:...
, Sidney Faithorn Green
Sidney Faithorn Green
The Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green was a British clergyman who, during the Ritualist controversies in the Church of England, was imprisoned for 20 months for liturgical practice contrary to the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874.-Background:...
and James Bell Cox. The Conference of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional society in the Anglican Communion dedicated to venerating the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist...
in the USA sent a letter of support, "to express the sympathy of the Conference for Fr. R.W.Enraght in his incarceration for conscience’s sake."
In England, the Revd Prof. Edward Bouverie Pusey
Edward Bouverie Pusey
Edward Bouverie Pusey was an English churchman and Regius Professor of Hebrew at Christ Church, Oxford. He was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement.-Early years:...
wrote a letter to the editor of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in which he defended both Fr. Enraght and Fr. Alexander Heriot Mackonochie
Alexander Heriot Mackonochie
Alexander Heriot Mackonochie SSC was a Church of England clergyman and mission priest known as "the martyr of St Alban's" on account of his prosecution and forced resignation for ritualist practices.-Early life:...
. He said, "They have not been struggling for themselves but for their people. The Ritualists do not ask to interfere with devotion of others ….only to be allowed, in their worship of God, to use a Ritual which a few years ago no one disputed." As Fr. Enraght was imprisoned over the Christmas period, he was gratified to receive letters of support and goodwill from his own and former parishioners around the country, as well as Christmas cards from children in Bordesley.
1880 protest poster in support of Tooth, Dale and Enraght
A copy of this poster was also fixed to a wall close to Lambeth PalaceLambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
, which greatly annoyed Archbishop Tait
Archibald Campbell Tait
Archibald Campbell Tait was a priest in the Church of England and an Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tait was educated at the Royal High School and at the Edinburgh Academy, where he was twice elected dux. His parents were Presbyterian but he early turned towards the...
.
- THE VICTORIAN PERSECUTION, HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
- B.C.Anno Dominiand Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
- 533 Three Jews cast into a Fiery FurnaceFiery furnaceFiery furnace may refer to:* The fiery furnace in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into in Daniel 3* Fiery Furnace , a region of Utah's Arches National Park* The Fiery Furnaces, a rock band...
for conscience’ sake.
- 583 DanielBook of DanielThe Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
cast into the Den of Lions for conscience’ sake.
- A.D.
- 28 S. John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
cast into prison for conscience’ sake.
- 32 Our Blessed LordJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
Crucified to vindicate “the Law.”
- 51 SS. PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and JohnJohn the ApostleJohn the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
cast into Prison for Preaching Christ.
- 55 S. StephenSaint StephenSaint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
stoned to death for conscience’ sake.
- 68 SS. PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and Paul put to death for conscience’ sake.
- 1555 HooperJohn HooperJohn Hooper, Johan Hoper, was an English churchman, Anglican Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester. A Protestant Reformer, he was killed during the Marian Persecutions.-Biography:...
, RidleyNicholas Ridley (martyr)Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
and LatimerHugh LatimerHugh Latimer was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, Bishop of Worcester before the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555, under Queen Mary, he was burnt at the stake, becoming one of the three Oxford Martyrs of Anglicanism.-Life:Latimer was born into a...
burned for conscience’ sake.
- 1556 CranmerThomas CranmerThomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
burnt for conscience’ sake.
- 1876 Arthur ToothArthur ToothArthur Tooth SSC was a Ritualist priest in the Church of England and a member of the Society of the Holy Cross . Tooth is best known for having been prosecuted in 1876 under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 for using proscribed liturgical practices...
imprisoned for conscience’ sake.
- 1880 T. Pelham DaleT. Pelham DaleThomas Pelham Dale was an English Anglo-Catholic ritualist clergyman, most famous for being prosecuted and imprisoned for ritualist practices-Biography:...
, R.W. Enraght, for conscience’ sake, and.
- They are in Gaol now, in this year 1880 of Our LordJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, and 43rd of VictoriaVictoria of the United KingdomVictoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, and, by
- God’s Grace, may they light such a candle as shall never be put out
Released from Warwick Prison
The English Church Union took steps to quash the proceedings against Fr. Enraght, but it became clear the judges intended to support Lord Penzance. The Court of Appeal released Fr. Enraght after 49 days in prison on the grounds of a technical informality in the writ for committal. The Prosecutor tried to have Fr. Enraght re-committed, but the English Church Union forestalled his attempt by their own legal actions.Through failure of an appeal to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, in May 1882 Fr. Enraght became liable to another term of imprisonment. Three months later, under the provisions of the PWR Act, church authorities declared the benefice of Holy Trinity, Bordesley as vacant, although it was still canonically held by Fr. Enraght. In March 1883 Bishop Philpott revoked Fr. Enraght's licence and appointed another clergyman to the benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
, against the wishes of the congregation.
Highgate, Birmingham
Highgate is an area of Birmingham, England. Following the Big City Plan of February 2008, Highgate is now a district of Birmingham City Centre. This area is regarded as the site of the original Anglo-Saxon settlement which gave the city of Birmingham its name....
Board School, on March 28, to say good-bye. Parishioners had taken up a collection which they gave to Fr. and Mrs. Enraght in appreciation.
When Bishop Philpott preached at Holy Trinity two months later on 6 May 1883, the churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s handed him a formal protest condemning the removal of Enraght and stating that "We, the truly aggrieved, have been left as sheep without a shepherd." They implied that the actions of Rev. Watt (Enraght's replacement) to tone down ritual had led to a significant reduction in the size of congregation.
The Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
of 1881 studied the issues and made a report in 1883 that marked a historic turning point for the Church of England. It led to abandonment of the effort to repress ritualism. The ritualists’ acts of civil disobedience and resulting jail terms had both embarrassed Low church Evangelicals and cemented an alliance with moderate High Church priests. The unity of the Church was threatened if officials continued efforts against ritualism. Archbishop Tait subordinated his concerns for national opinion and devoted himself to mending his ecclesiastical bridges.
Later life and legacy
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
Church Bromley by Bow from 1884–1888 and St Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
Church Poplar
Poplar, London
Poplar is a historic, mainly residential area of the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is about east of Charing Cross. Historically a hamlet in the parish of Stepney, Middlesex, in 1817 Poplar became a civil parish. In 1855 the Poplar District of the Metropolis was...
from 1888-1895.
In 1895 he arrived at his final Parish of St Swithun Church Bintree
Bintree
Bintree is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England, about nine miles south-east of Fakenham. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 300....
, after being presented to the benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
by Lord Hastings. He ended his ministry and life in a quiet country parish in Norfolk. Those who knew him could bear witness to his kind and helpful life as priest and friend to all his people, and those who were witnesses of his arrest and imprisonment would never forget the solemnity and pathos of that event.
Fr. Enraght died on St Matthew’s Day, September 21, 1898, and was buried at the south east end of St Swithun’s churchyard, Bintree. His grave is that of a “Confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
” (someone who suffered for the faith, while not dying for it). The two windows of the Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, depicting the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
of Our Lady, are dedicated to Fr. Enraght. A statue of St. Swithun above the porch is inscribed: “It is placed as a memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
to a great and good priest Richard William Enraght.”
The Church Union
The Church Union is an Anglo-Catholic advocacy group within the Church of England.The organisation was founded as the Church of England Protection Society on May 12, 1859 to challenge the authority of the English civil courts to determine questions of doctrine...
Sustentation Fund supported Fr. Enraght and his family.
Marriage and family
During Fr. Enraght and Dorothea’s married life they had seven children:- Mary (born and died 1866, Lincolnshire),
- William (b.1868, Brighton),
- Ellen (b. 1870, Brighton),
- Hawtrey (b.1871, Brighton),
- Grace (b.1873, Portslade),
- Dora (b.1875, Birmingham) and Alice (b.1879, Birmingham).
In 1896 Fr. Enraght had the joy of seeing his son Hawtrey ordained a priest in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Shortly after Fr. Richard Enraght’s death, his widow Dorothea and daughter Grace moved to Walsingham, where Grace married the Revd Edgar Reeves, the Vicar of Walsingham
Walsingham
Walsingham is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is famed for its religious shrines in honour of the Virgin Mary and as a major pilgrimage centre...
.
Fr. Hawtrey Enraght served as Vicar of St Helen’s Ranworth
Ranworth
Ranworth is a village in Norfolk, England in The Broads, adjacent to Malthouse Broad and Ranworth Broad.-Church of St Helen:The 14th century St. Helen's church has a fine 15th century painted rood screen and a rare Antiphoner. It is a Grade I listed building From the top of Ranworth church's 100...
. The altar in the north parclose
Architectural glossary
This page is a glossary of architecture.-A:*Aisle - subsidiary space alongside the body of a building, separated from it by columns, piers, or posts.*Apron -...
was dedicated to his father. In later life his ministry took him to St Margaret’s Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
. For his long and dedicated service to his Diocese of Norwich
Anglican Diocese of Norwich
The Diocese of Norwich forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of Dunwich founded in 630. In common with many Anglo-Saxon bishoprics it moved, in this case to Elmham in 673...
, the Revd Hawtrey Enraght was awarded the honorary title of Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in 1928.
In 1933, the Catholic Literature Association issued the following tribute to Fr. Richard Enraght and the four other priests who had been imprisoned:
The names of those who suffered the indignity of imprisonment were Arthur ToothArthur ToothArthur Tooth SSC was a Ritualist priest in the Church of England and a member of the Society of the Holy Cross . Tooth is best known for having been prosecuted in 1876 under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 for using proscribed liturgical practices...
, Vicar of St. James', HatchamHatchamHatcham was a manor and later chapelry in what is now London, England. It corresponds to the area around New Cross Gate station in the London Borough of Lewisham....
; R. W. Enraght, Rector of Holy Trinity, BordesleyBordesley, West MidlandsBordesley is an area of Birmingham, England and is part of the City's Nechells Ward.It is served by Bordesley railway station.It should not be confused with nearby Bordesley Green.-Notable residents :...
; T. Pelham DaleT. Pelham DaleThomas Pelham Dale was an English Anglo-Catholic ritualist clergyman, most famous for being prosecuted and imprisoned for ritualist practices-Biography:...
, Rector of St. Vedast, Foster Lane, in the City of London; Sidney Faithorn GreenSidney Faithorn GreenThe Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green was a British clergyman who, during the Ritualist controversies in the Church of England, was imprisoned for 20 months for liturgical practice contrary to the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874.-Background:...
, Rector of St John's, Miles PlattingMiles PlattingMiles Platting is an inner city district of Manchester, England. It is east-northeast of Manchester city centre, along the course of the Rochdale Canal and A62 road...
; and James Bell Cox, Vicar of St. Margaret's, LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. . . . To these brave priests and many others who suffered we owe a great tribute of thankfulness and praise, for it was through their determination to stand by the Church in her hour of peril that we have won the tolerance and liberty we have today. The Act of Parliament under which these priests suffered is still on the Statute Book, but for all practical purposes it is dead.
In 1933 Marcus Donovan wrote:
These 'Five ConfessorConfessor-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
s', in obeying the laws of the Church, suffered deprivation and imprisonment under the P.W.R. Act, and by their witness and steadfastness may be said to have brought to an end the policy of legal persecution.
A modern-day commentary on the events that surrounded the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874
Public Worship Regulation Act 1874
The Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced as a Private Member's Bill by Archbishop of Canterbury Archibald Campbell Tait, to limit what he perceived as the growing ritualism of Anglo-Catholicism and the Oxford Movement within the Church...
comes from the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: “This attempt at suppressing Ritualism so discredited the Act (in fact it created Anglo-Catholic martyrs) that it led to its being regarded as virtually obsolete.” Despite not being used, the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 was kept on the statute books for 89 years until repeal in the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure of 1963.
In February 2006, the Brighton newspaper The Argus
The Argus (Brighton)
The Argus is a local newspaper based in Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, with editions serving the city of Brighton and Hove and the other parts of both East and West Sussex.-History:...
, reported that Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority area and city on the south coast of England. It is England's most populous seaside resort.In 1997 Brighton and Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium...
City Council had accepted the name of Fr. Richard Enraght, whom they described as a “Priest, fighter for religious freedom”, as a candidate for a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
to be erected in his memory on his former home in Station Road, Portslade. In September 2006, Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company
Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company
Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company operates almost all bus services in the city of Brighton and Hove in southern England. The company was established in 1884 as Brighton, Hove and Preston United Omnibus Company and has been part of the Go-Ahead Group since 1993.The company currently operates a...
honoured Fr. Richard Enraght by naming one of their new fleet buses, No.905 after him.
Works cited
- G. Bayfield Roberts.The History of the English Church Union 1859-1894. London: Church Printing, 1895. (online at Project Canterbury)
- James Bentley.Ritualism & Politics in Victorian Britain: Oxford: Oxford University Press: 1978: ISBN 0-19-826714-2
- R.T.Davidson.Life of Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury :Macmillan, 1891.
- Marcus Donovan. After the Tractarians, from the Recollections of Athelstan Riley : Philip Allan, 1933. (online at Project Canterbury)
- L.E.Ellsworth.Charles Lowder :London: Darlton, Longman and Todd: 1982: ISBN 0-232-51535-2
- J. Embry.The Catholic Movement and the Society of the Holy Cross. :London: The Faith Press, 1931. (online at Project Canterbury)
- F. C. Ewer.Sermon on the Imprisonment of English Priests for Conscience Sake (Preached in St. Ignatius Church, New York., on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, 1880) :New York: E & J.B. Young & Co.,Cooper Union, Fourth Avenue. 1881 (online at Project Canterbury)
- H.P.Liddon and J. O. Johnston. Life of Edward Bouverie Pusey London: Longmans. Four volumes. 1894. (online at Project Canterbury)
- P. T. Marsh.The Victorian Church in Decline (Archbishop Tait & The Church of England 1868-1882) :Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969.
- William Pitt McCune. History of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament in the United States of America :Holy Cross Publications, 1964. (online at Project Canterbury)
- Michael Reynolds.Martyr of Ritualism (Fr. Mackonochie of St Alban's Holborn) :London, Faber and Faber, 1965
- Nigel Yates.Anglican Ritualism in Victorian Britain 1830-1910 :Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999: ISBN 0-19-826989-7
Further reading
- Richard William Enraght (1837–1898), Rector of Bintry, Controversialist 1879-81: correspondence and papers on his prosecution for ritualistic practices held at Lambeth PalaceLambeth PalaceLambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
Library, Reference - Archibald Campbell TaitArchibald Campbell TaitArchibald Campbell Tait was a priest in the Church of England and an Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tait was educated at the Royal High School and at the Edinburgh Academy, where he was twice elected dux. His parents were Presbyterian but he early turned towards the...
, NRA 8476 Tait - William Ewart GladstoneWilliam Ewart GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
- letters to Revd. R. W. Enraght, Gladstone's Diaries, (18 March 1880, Midlothian Campaigns). - Brian Douglas.Ways of Knowing the Anglican Eucharistic Tradition: Ramifications for Theological Education, Case Study 3.5, Richard Enraght :University of Newcastle, Australia 2006
Publications by Fr. Enraght
(Links to Fr. Enraght's publications that can be read online at Project CanterburyProject Canterbury
Project Canterbury is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999, and is hosted by the non-profit Society of Archbishop Justus...
)
- "To The Poor The Gospel is Preached" (1865)- a sermon (with a preface) advocating the right of the people to freedom of public worship in "The Church of the People", - written while a Curate at St Luke Church, Sheffield.
- "Bible-Ritualism Indispensably Necessary for Purposes of Instruction & of Worship" (1866) - a sermon, - written while a Curate at St Luke Church Sheffield.
- "Who Are True Churchmen, and Who Are Conspirators?" (1870) - an appeal to the Last Settlement of the English Reformation in 1662 - written while a Curate at St Paul's Church Brighton.
- "Free and Open Churches and the Weekly Offertory" (1871) - a lecture for the National Association for Promoting Freedom of Worship - written while a Curate at St Paul's Church Brighton.
- "The Real Presence and Holy Scripture" (1872) - written while Priest in Charge of St Andrew Church Portslade.
- "Catholic Worship not Pharisaic-Judaism" (1873) - written while Priest in Charge of St Andrew Church Portslade.
- "Not Law, But Unconstitutional Tyranny" (1877) - a lecture on the "Present Unconstitutional Exercise of the Royal Supremacy in Matters Spiritual", - Holy Trinity Bordesley.
- "A Pastoral to the Faithful Worshipping at Holy Trinity, Bordesley" - Birmingham, (July 20, 1879).
- The Ridsdale judgement on vestments: Was it an intentional miscarriage of justice? : Holy Trinity Schools, Bordesley, (November 17, 1880).
- "My Ordination Oaths and other Declarations: am I Keeping Them?" (1880) - Holy Trinity, Bordesley.
- "An Aggrieved Parish, or The Minutes of the Easter vestries in the Parish of Holy Trinity, Birmingham", from 1878 to 1881, with an address delivered in 1881.
- "My Prosecution under the Public Worship Regulation Act" (1883) - a statement laid before the most Rev. the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, - Holy Trinity, Bordesley.
External links
- The Parish of St Nicolas & St Andrew Portslade
- St Andrew Church Portslade
- Project Canterbury Online home of Anglican texts, with emphasis on classical Anglican documents expressing the Catholic identity of Anglicanism.
- Pusey House Chapel & Library, Oxford
- St Paul Church Brighton
- Brighton & Hove Buses photographs of the Revd Richard Enraght bus