'Middle-England diocese, Middle-England Catholicism' : the development of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham 1850-1915

The thesis aims to chart the development of the Diocese of Nottingham from 1850 to 1915, and through a comparison with the historiography of the period, to show how far it correlates with the accepted norms of nineteenth and early twentieth century Catholic development. Methodologically, the thesis aims to pioneer an in-depth integrated study on the development of the Diocese of Nottingham from 1850 to 1915, a largely unstudied area as far as Catholics and Catholicism is concerned. The period studied commences with the Restoration of the Hierarchy, (1850), and terminates with the resignation of Bishop Brindle in 1915. There is a unity in the period chosen as it encompasses the Episcopacies of one Diocesan Administrator, Bishop William Bernard Ullathorne (1850-1, who was concurrently Bishop of Birmingham), and Bishop Joseph William Hendren, (1851-3), Bishop Richard Roskell (1853-74), Bishop Edward Bagshawe (1874-1901), and Bishop Robert Brindle (1901-15). While the thesis addresses the way the Bishops tackled the problems they faced on taking up their appointments, as well as the ways in which they dealt with the demands placed upon them by Westminster, the emphasis is on the broader Catholic community and the way it evolved. This is dealt with through a wide-ranging analysis which locates local developments within a national framework. While each chapter has a dominant focus for organisational reasons, the thesis aims is to show how matters inter-related, and subsequently affected the Diocese's developmental path. The overall outline of the Diocese's historical background between 1850 and 1915, is described through a study of the characteristics, aims and methods used by Bishop Ullathorne, and the Bishops of Nottingham, in their attempts to turn the Diocese of Nottingham from a 2 concept on paper in 1850, to being an important part of the cultural, social and religious landscape of the East Midlands by 1915. Succeeding chapters deal with ultramontanism and how it was uniquely interpreted locally, defining who comprised the local Catholic community, the evolution of a Diocesan political ethos, education, and anti-Catholicism: the latter may be seen as perhaps the example par excellence of the need for integrated studies. The primary sources used in this thesis bring new perspectives to the study of nineteenth century Catholicism, and their use greatly extends our knowledge and understanding of the period. This is especially true as they have not been applied before to an understanding of the Nottingham Diocese. Use has been made of around 80 newspapers (daily, twice weekly and weekly) and monthly magazines, both Catholic and Protestant, published across the Diocese, as well as national publications. In several cases, as in Nottingham and Leicester, their attitudes varied from being anti- to pro- Catholic, which meant a greater degree of balance in the understanding of events. Use was also made of newly available papers from the De Lisle, Gainsborough, and Howard families that have not been used before. Other material was personally collected from the descendants of nineteenth century families. In addition to papers from the Orders' Archives, the Westminster and Birmingham Arch-Diocesan Archives, the Vatican and other Diocesan Archives have been consulted, such as those at Northampton, Salford and Leeds. The Nottingham Archives provided material that has not been used before, including the extant papers of Bishops Ullathorne, Hendren, Roskell, Bagshawe, Brindle, and Dunn. Access was given to extracts from the Chapter Minutes and newly deposited material from priests who were active in the period. As well as explaining how the Nottingham Diocese developed between 1850 and 1915, the thesis deals with the differences noted locally between `Catholicism' and 3 `Catholic'. Attempts are made to explain the dichotomy noted; namely that while `Catholicism' entailed hatred and led to anti-Catholicism, individual `Catholics' were frequently admired and respected. The thesis will make an important contribution to our knowledge in a number of ways. Fundamentally, it is the only macro-diocesan study of its type. The newly available content will provide an increased data base for studies of nineteenth-century Catholicism. By synthesising the information, localised trends have been established which are compared to, or used to correct, generalisations portrayed in the historiography of secondary literature that currently exists. The newly available information can also be used to test some of the hypotheses used regarding Catholics. The structure of the thesis will hopefully lay down a model for further Diocesan studies

"This ill-shaped monster": Writing the Representation of the Commons in Parliament, 1776-1831

High-profile campaigns to bring about legislative change, by using writing to inform public opinion and by demonstrating that opinion to the House of Commons, generally failed, 1772-1828. Writers were looked to as more responsive effecters of real-world change. They used the figure of the writer as a Member of Parliament to describe what and why (to do what? to whom?) they wrote. By questioning how far Members were elected by and represented the interests of the people, their mandate to legislate, reformers simultaneously opened a critical space in which writers could question their own mandate to write, at a time when it was more possible for women and/or members of lower income groups to live by their pen. I trace the ways in which the reform debate affected how the writer-as-legislator figure was used by three writers who (a) claimed to apply experimental realistic modes to represent ordinary, private life and (b) subscribed to different reform ideologies. All three pitted a ‘rightly’-mandated writer and legislator against a ‘wrongly’-mandated writer and legislator, representers of the ‘right’ against representers of the ‘wrong’ group’s interests in writing and in statutes. William Wordsworth aspired to represent what he abstracted from his subjects’ reality, as thinkers and actors in socio-political and -economic contexts. Despite his support for radical reform before 1818, Wordsworth compared such a writer to a Member not elected by the people, who represented his own, party, or electoral supporters’ interests. George Crabbe and Maria Edgeworth aspired to represent their subjects’ reality and to align themselves with a reformed House of Commons, elected by and representing the interests of a larger subset of the people. These findings dispute Raymond Williams’s thesis that the ideal of writing as a representation of subjects’ ordinary way of life, their reality, emerged during the mid-nineteenth century

Race relations in colonial Queensland: A history of exclusion, exploitation, and extermination

No abstract availabl

Players and Performances in Early Modern Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol

This thesis is an analysis of the responses in the early modern period of civic and church authorities to local and visiting groups of players in Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol. It is also an examination of the venues in which these groups performed. Reactions to these groups varied, and this study explores how these, both positive and negative, were affected by economic, legal and cultural factors. The thesis proceeds chronologically, and is thus divided into twenty-year intervals in order to draw the most effective comparisons between the three urban centres over a number of decades. The first period under examination, the 1560s, records the early reaction of the three settlements to the phenomenon of the Elizabethan travelling company. The relationship between the regional authorities and the patrons comes to the fore in the second period, the 1580s, as the dominance of the ambitious Earl of Leicester grew in the region. Legislation decreeing the withdrawal of mayoral control over itinerant troupes at the close of the sixteenth century, the third period, released civic officials from previous obligations and this influenced the level and character of their hospitality towards the ‘noble’ companies. Although evidence is scarce, the records of Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol contain clues to an attitude towards these entertainers during the reign of James I, the final period under scrutiny. The study is based on the extant economic records for the region, as these contain much fruitful information. This thesis consciously places itself in dialogue with the internationally acclaimed REED Project, and draws on the information collated by the editors of the volumes for Bristol and Gloucestershire. A parallel examination of the entries into municipal records of the three towns, and the areas around them, in conjunction with genealogical and topographical evidence, has allowed for an interpretation of the data in a wide regional context, revealing that although each town tolerated players in their municipal spaces, with the officials personally entertaining the companies on some occasions, the reception of the companies varied significantly from town to town and across the historic period

Socio-historical perspectives on the scientific education of girls in nineteenth and twentieth century England.

This thesis seeks to account for the current sex-differentiation in science education as the result of a particular social process. Unlike contemporary explanations for girls' under-achievement in science in terms of biological or social-psychological factors, this work investigates to what extent there has been in operation a "process of differentiation" which has either kept girls out of science, or offered them a limited conception of science in relation to ideas about women's role in society. It also asks how far women and girls have been excluded from, and subordinate in, the complex of activities understood as science because of male defined concerns and priorities of science, reflective of the male domination of the scientific community. This work draws on a variety of documentary sources from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries to identify the significant factors involved in the shaping of science education for girls. It is argued that since the early nineteenth century science education developed in a sex-differentiated way in relation to different conceptions of the male and female spheres and to a sexually differentiated labour market. The institutional context of girls' education has also had an important effect on the determination of science education for girls. In conclusion it is argued that the problem of girls' under-achievement in science has been seen most often as a problem for, and about, girls, rather than as a problem for, and about, science education. The socio-historical approach to the question of girls' science education suggests that an alternative view of the problem is required. This places at the centre of critical inquiry science education and the social context in which it is situated rather than the perceived negative attitudes held by girls' towards scienc

Scottish church music and musicians, 1500-1700

Abstract available: p 3-4