Anti-Catholic agitation in
Wolverhampton (part 9)
Conclusions to this chapter
Up until the late 1840s there had been few problems regarding the
integration of Roman Catholics into the Wolverhampton population as a
whole. This small and "respectable" community was generally accepted as
a loyal part of society. the transformation of the Catholic laity in
Wolverhampton, which was brought about by the arrival of thousands of
Irish, led many Protestants to reconsider their attitude towards members
of the Church of Rome. The town's new Catholics were far less
deferential to the native majority and felt that they had little to lose
in making their true feelings known. It seems that the frustration and
general dissatisfaction with their conditions of employment and
accommodation were manifested in their fierce, aggressive reaction to
what they considered to be criticisms of their religious beliefs. For
many non-Catholics this served to prove that their fears were based in
fact, and in an attempt to assert their freedom to practise their
Protestant faith in what was, after all, a Protestant country, they
managed to reinforce antagonisms with the Irish in the town, leading to
a continuation of violence.
While relations between Roman Catholics and Protestants often left much
to be desired, there was, at times, deep conflict within the Catholic
community itself, and this will be considered in the following chapter.
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