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Post by raharris1973 on Sept 30, 2022 12:35:42 GMT
How do we achieve what is on the tin?
Maryland was founded by the Calverts as a refuge for English Catholics and this was reflected in early settlers and place-naming from the the 1600s. But no later than 1700, even though the Calverts remained lord proprietor, Protestants (Many puritan migrants either direct from England or New England or people who followed Methodism or others who followed CoE) collectively made up the majority of the white population, had gained a superior control over colonial political institutions and had relegated the Catholic Church and Catholics to a second-class civic status.
Catholicism did not disappear in the colony, Some remained. A few were very wealthy, like John Carroll, a founding father.
But how could we forestall the trend toward that turned the the haven for Catholic owned by a Catholic proprietor into a place of Catholic numerical and political inferiority?
The easiest suggestion would seem to be increasing Catholic numbers/ share of population. Given the population of Britain to the colonies in 1700 was in the ballpark of 6 million to under a million, I would think adequate numbers of English and Scottish Catholics shouldn’t have been had to find, and that’s even before you take Ireland into account, which should open up an en bigger pool.
What was the class and occupational distribution of English and Scottish and Welsh Catholics in the 1600s between the upper classes, middle classes, and poor? Was it for some reason more poorly suited for trans-Atlantic migration than Protestant dissenters or CoE populations because of its class or occupational profile? Did Crown or Parliament or Admiralty actively impede Catholic migration through policy? Did the Catholic Church actively discourage it?
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Sept 30, 2022 14:07:50 GMT
How do we achieve what is on the tin? Maryland was founded by the Calverts as a refuge for English Catholics and this was reflected in early settlers and place-naming from the the 1600s. But no later than 1700, even though the Calverts remained lord proprietor, Protestants (Many puritan migrants either direct from England or New England or people who followed Methodism or others who followed CoE) collectively made up the majority of the white population, had gained a superior control over colonial political institutions and had relegated the Catholic Church and Catholics to a second-class civic status. Catholicism did not disappear in the colony, Some remained. A few were very wealthy, like John Carroll, a founding father. But how could we forestall the trend toward that turned the the haven for Catholic owned by a Catholic proprietor into a place of Catholic numerical and political inferiority? The easiest suggestion would seem to be increasing Catholic numbers/ share of population. Given the population of Britain to the colonies in 1700 was in the ballpark of 6 million to under a million, I would think adequate numbers of English and Scottish Catholics shouldn’t have been had to find, and that’s even before you take Ireland into account, which should open up an en bigger pool. What was the class and occupational distribution of English and Scottish and Welsh Catholics in the 1600s between the upper classes, middle classes, and poor? Was it for some reason more poorly suited for trans-Atlantic migration than Protestant dissenters or CoE populations because of its class or occupational profile? Did Crown or Parliament or Admiralty actively impede Catholic migration through policy? Did the Catholic Church actively discourage it?
Not sure if there was any restrictions on Catholics emigrating to the colonies - Maryland itself suggests that. However I think Catholics were pretty thin on the ground in Britain, other than those incoming from Ireland so the pool could be pretty small. There were some very rich Catholics, such as the Howard family, who as Dukes of Norfolk have the highest ranking duchy outside the royal family. I think that while religion is highlighted as an incentive for migrants and it was significant for important elements, such as the puritans a more important factor was the simple desire for a better life. Many people went out under a system where a richer patron payed for their passage in return for them being tied to work for those people for a number of years before being able to be fully independent.
It could be that Maryland opened itself up to Catholics from Ireland, although there were social and cultural issues possibly there, or that there is more persecution of Catholics specifically driving most of what's left of the minority to the colony. Mind you in this case you could also see the government stepping in to stop this. Or simply people from other colonies moving in to swamp the Catholics in the colony.
I can't really see the colony maintaining a Catholic majority without being able to block non-Catholics from moving into it and that seems very difficult if not impossible to do for any period of time.
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Post by raharris1973 on Sept 30, 2022 23:06:01 GMT
stevep - It really sounds like you think it is a scarcity of English Catholics problem. At least compared to the still quite small populations of individual colonies. But I highly doubt that. And even if England is really that short of Catholics (bar comfy rich folk), Ireland has a large supply, with the Scottish highlands ready to throw a fair few more in.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Oct 1, 2022 13:49:39 GMT
stevep - It really sounds like you think it is a scarcity of English Catholics problem. At least compared to the still quite small populations of individual colonies. But I highly doubt that. And even if England is really that short of Catholics (bar comfy rich folk), Ireland has a large supply, with the Scottish highlands ready to throw a fair few more in.
I do remember reading that for at least a couple of centuries that the history of Catholicism in England was largely that of Irish Catholic migrants to England so think that in many areas it was pretty small. Yes Ireland, if the population is willing to move and can get the funds and ditto a good bit of the Scots Highlands but how easy was this before the 19thC when trans-Atlantic travel was a lot more difficult.
Plus the point is the vast majority of migrants before the 19thC is likely to be from Protestant English groups so its unlikely that Maryland can keep such settlers out, at least not without probably creating tension and ill-feeling with its neighbours.
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