The Oxford History of British and Irish Catholicism, Volume III: Relief, Revolution, and Revival, 1746–1829 ed. by Liam Chambers (review)

Reviewed by: The Oxford History of British and Irish Catholicism, Volume III: Relief, Revolution, and Revival, 1746–1829 ed. by Liam Chambers Sadie Sunderland-Rhoads The Oxford History of British and Irish Catholicism, Volume III: Relief, Revolution, and Revival, 1746–1829. Edited by Liam Chambers. (Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2024. Pp. 368. 165. ISBN 978-0-198-84344-3. ) The long eighteenth century is a significant period for the history of British and Irish Catholicism. It saw the enforcement and influence of the penal laws against Catholics in Britain and Ireland as well as the growth of ideas of toleration and pragmatic imperial concerns which led to Catholic relief. Much scholarship has been generated on the place of Catholics in Britain and Ireland, but at times the historiography can seem disjointed, focusing on one place within this geography and thus making these areas seem more isolated from one another. Taking a End Page 426 "four nations" approach in which England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are discussed both in terms of their independent stories as well as how they overlapped and influenced each other, this volume contributes to understandings of how Catholicism and the place of Catholics had a significant impact on, and indeed was impacted by, the social and political landscape of Britain and Ireland from 1746 to 1829. As argued by Liam Chambers, this period "witnessed the catholic question take a central place in political life, " causing both politicians and the public to consider and reconsider the role of Catholics, and Catholics to think about how to best "accommodate themselves within a Protestant state" (3). The period covered by this volume is thus one of transition, a gradual loosening of restrictions against Catholics, culminating in Catholic emancipation. This volume features two sections. The first establishes the chronology, each chapter providing a survey of a section of time within the period. These chapters focus on how the role of the decline of Jacobitism, Catholic expressions of loyalty, wider imperial concerns, and the influence of the French wars impacted the rise of Catholic toleration and relief. In the second section, which is the majority of the volume, the chapters explore the whole period through different themes. Themes discussed are quite diverse, ranging from more social and political topics, such as inter-religious conflict, anti-Catholicism, and Catholics within the empire, to more cultural topics, such as the infrastructure of Catholicism, men and women religious, music, and print and material culture. This approach allows the reader to generate a solid footing in the period in the first section, which can then facilitate better understanding of the thematic chapters. Across both the chronological and thematic sections, some topics are consistently discussed. In line with the four nations approach, migration between and interaction of the four nations is shown to be a key factor in understanding British and Irish Catholicism. Further, Dominic Aidan Bellenger's chapter in particular emphasizes that discussion of Catholics throughout the British Empire, both migrants from Britain and Ireland and Catholic subjects gained by acquiring new territory who were not from the British Isles, need to feature in this discourse. Class also emerged as a significant topic, particularly in discussions of both anti-Catholicism and expressions of Catholic loyalty throughout this period, as well as relating to the changing shape of who was involved in campaigning for Catholic relief. The consistent appearance of these topics illustrates that even when a thematic approach is taken, common threads emerge. which helps this volume maintain cohesion. The Oxford History of British and Irish Catholicism, Volume III explores not only political implications, but social and cultural practices and global interactions that contribute to understandings of British and Irish Catholicism from 1746 to 1829. This provides a significant contribution to the goal of the series of which it is part, which seeks to avoid divorcing Catholic history from the history of Britain and Ireland, and rather see it as a necessary component in understanding "British and Irish history as a whole" (xxi). End Page 427 Sadie Sunderland-Rhoads University College London Copyright © 2024 The Catholic University of America Press