Tony Hadland's book builds on the Catholic Record Society's 1909 work of untranslated Latin registers and emerges as an indispensable tool for exploring the religious and social tapestry of Oxford during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Hadland's meticulous organisation and presentation of data from Catholic mission registers will prove useful for a diverse audience, from religious and social historians to genealogy seekers and local history aficionados. By rendering complex sacramental records into an accessible format he bridges the gap between historical records and contemporary study. The book is thoughtfully divided into two main parts: an extensive introduction that offers contextual background for the reader, followed by the diligently transcribed, translated and systematically arranged records. These records span baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, burials and conversions in Oxford, covering the period from 1700 to 1875.
One of the strengths of this work is Hadland's reflection on societal change. Throughout various sections in the introduction he highlights specific human stories and uses the lives of the Catholics in Oxford as a lens through which to understand the wider experience of English Catholics during the era of persecution. Hadland sets out the primary legal changes affecting Catholics which provides clarity on why separate registers for Catholics in England were necessary. A fascinating part of this context is the analysis of the buildings and locations associated with the registers. Here the reader is led through the physical change of country house Catholicism to city church, from the manors of Holywell and Waterperry to the post-emancipation development of St Ignatius. The fact that Holywell Manor in Oxford operated as a manor house chapel – yet, being on the outskirts of the city also became an urban base – is a wonderful detail.
Hadland's commentary on the contents of the registers eases the reader into the data and picks out various important themes such as the recording of unmarried mothers, foreign immigration and Catholic conversions. The baptismal records show how Catholic society changed from the 1860s onwards, acknowledging births to single mothers including the christening of Isabel Smith, daughter of single mother Mary Smith in October 1861, and Charles Tarbuck, son of Catherine Tarbuck in November 1862. The records also make reference to children of single mothers who were inmates of Nazareth House, a Catholic home for orphans and the elderly run by the Sisters of Nazareth. The reference to Nazareth House, however, could have used further elaboration by the editor to provide context for the reader considering the controversial history and subsequent modern investigations into these homes.
The registers supply insight into the experiences of foreign nationals who made their home in Oxford. A number of Catholic German families settled in the area from the 1840s, establishing prominent businesses as clock- and watch-makers. The registers show how these families, such as the Heittichs, Kirners and Wanglers, engaged with their local Catholic community as they married and had their children baptised in the Church. Stanislaus Pfaff, from Nussbach, was witness at a wedding of a British Catholic couple in 1856, illustrating his assimilation into English Catholic society.
The content also sheds light on the subject of Catholic converts. Records of conversions can be found in baptismal registers and in the convert register that was established in 1869. Catholicism accepts baptisms performed by anyone; however, those who are already baptised in a different denomination may undergo a conditional baptism upon conversion. The entry of a conditional baptism in April 1834 of George Glynn Petre who had previously been christened at the Anglican parish church in Twickenham shows how prominent Catholic families skated between conforming for the legal implications whilst also privately maintaining their faith. George eventually became Sir George Petre. The records from the mid- to late nineteenth century reflect the impact of the Oxford Movement on the rate of conversions, and Hadland aptly notes that the conversion register served as a symbol of triumph for the revitalised English Catholic Church.
Hadland's work engagingly explores how the personal narratives of Oxford Catholics offer insights into the broader context of English Catholic life. Take for instance the Stonor family's children, who, despite not being christened in the Anglican faith, were recorded in the 1635 parish register by a vicar acting on a request from their socially prominent father. This highlights the importance of local stature in the preservation of Catholic gentry within the region. Furthermore, the book illuminates the influence of English Catholics returning from abroad, as depicted by Thomas Weld's 1799 reception of his sister's order, the Poor Clares of Aire from Artois, at his estate, Britwell Park.
The editor endeavours to provide broad context for the reader, which is especially useful for those researching these aspects of history for the first time. Occasionally, the reader is left wanting more when interesting local facts are briefly mentioned but not expanded upon. If further detail had been provided, it would have given the reader a real sense of the people and places mentioned in the book. Photographs of pages of the register are unfortunately of poor quality, making it difficult to see any detail and it is unclear why these images were chosen above other pages. Further discussion of the buildings, material culture and religious practices of the Oxford missions would have brought to life the lived experience of this community; particularly if there had been any physical connections between the gentry families and urban chapels as local gentry usually provided financial and material support to brand new city chapels. However, these are aspects which other researchers can hopefully pick up using this valuable data.
This book is a painstaking work by Hadland, who made his own transcript from the original handwritten registers and compared it with the 1909 Catholic Records Society untranslated publication. It successfully uses data to illuminate a period of English history when legal and social restrictions shaped the births, marriages and deaths of the Catholic population.
