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Bishop William Poynter and exorcism in Regency England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Francis Young
Francis Young*
Affiliation:
The King’s School, Barton Square, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4DB, UK. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In 1815 the Vicar Apostolic of the London District, William Poynter, became embroiled in a case of alleged demonic possession. In the face of considerable pressure from the family of Peter Moore, the alleged demoniac, Poynter prevented a proposed exorcism on the grounds that it would bring adverse publicity to the still fragile Catholic Church in England. Drawing on the surviving correspondence between Poynter and his officials and Peter Moore’s family, this article examines the stance adopted by Poynter on the issue of exorcism within the wider context of ‘Catholic Enlightenment’ thought on demonic possession, and argues that the political circumstances of Catholics in England ensured that Poynter’s cautious approach to exorcism ultimately won out against the desire of other Catholics—including another Vicar Apostolic, John Milner—to publicise the rite as a means of promoting the Catholic faith.

Keywords

ExorcismDemonic possessionVicars ApostolicWilliam PoynterJohn MilnerCatholic EnlightenmentUltramontanismCisalpinism
Type
Research Article
Information
British Catholic History , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , October 2016 , pp. 278 - 297
Copyright
© Trustees of the Catholic Record Society 2016. Published by Cambridge University Press 

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77 A diligent examination of the relevant boxes of Poynter’s surviving papers in the Archives of the Archbishops of Westminster (AAW) (correspondence with Vicars General 1812–25, MSS AAW A60; correspondence regarding clergy and parishes 1812–20, MSS AAW A61; correspondence with Peter Gandolphy 1814–20, MSS AAW A68b; miscellaneous correspondence 1812–26, MSS AAW A68c) has revealed no sign of an original of the letter transcribed in the Maidstone collection.

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