Transnationalising “Anti‐Popery”: Militant Protestant Preachers in the Nineteenth‐Century <scp>A</scp>nglo‐World

Abstract

Nineteenth‐century popular anti‐ C atholicism may not have reached the intensity of the G ordon R iots of 1780, but it was nevertheless sustained and hostile. Whilst a deep‐rooted anti‐ C atholicism shaped the B ritish psyche, a specific anti‐ I rish dimension also reared its head in response to epic migrations from the neighbouring island. This, in turn, saw traditions of intolerance spread around the globe as B ritish and Irish migrants re‐peopled vast territories. For a time, specifically in the few decades after the 1840s, anti‐ C atholic traditions were supported by a new brand of public theatre that became popular and financially rewarding. In one way, the emergence of a public style of no‐popery entertainment was an effect of mass migration, shared, ingrained Protestant identities, and urban modernity. By examining press reportage, contemporary writings, and the works of specific preachers, this article examines the global patterns of posturing and violence that marked the careers of itinerants like C harles C hiniquy, B aron de C amin, F r G avazzi, and J ohn S ayers O rr, paying particular attention to the way these preachers and their supporters affected global I rish C atholic communities throughout the A nglo‐world.