In the history of England, recusancy was a term used to describe the statutory offence of not complying with the established Church of England. England is the largest and most populous of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

From the 16th to the 19th century recusants were subject to civil penalties and sometimes, especially in the earlier part of that period, to criminal penalties. Roman Catholics formed a large proportion of recusants, and were those to whom the term initially was applied, but other non-Catholic groups who dissented from the Church of England were, later, also labeled recusants. The recusancy laws were in force from the reign of Elizabeth I to that of George III, though not always enforced with equal intensity. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The term dissenter (from the Latin dissentire, to disagree), labels one who dissents or disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603 ) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ...

The first statute to address sectarian dissent was issued in 1593 under Elizabeth I and specifically targeted Roman Catholics, under the title "An Act for restraining Popish Recusants." It defined "Popish Recusants" as those "convicted for not repairing to some Church, Chapel, or usual place of Common Prayer to hear Divine Service there, but forbearing the same contrary to the tenor of the laws and statutes heretofore made and provided in that behalf." Other acts also targeted Roman Catholic recusants, including statutes passed under James I and Charles I, as well as laws defining other offenses deemed acts of recusancy. Elizabeth I redirects here. ... James Stuart (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ...

Recusants were subject to various civil disabilities and penalties under English penal laws, most of which were repealed during the regency and reign of George IV in the early 19th century. The Nuttall Encyclopaedia notes that Dissenters were forgiven by the Toleration Act of William III, while Roman Catholics "were not entirely emancipated till 1829". In the most general sense, penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation, as opposed to civil law that seeks to redress private wrongs. ... The English Regency, or simply the Regency, is a name given to the period from 1811 to 1820 in the history of England. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term dissenter (from the Latin dissentire, to disagree), labels one who dissents or disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. ...

Early recusants included Protestant dissenters whose faiths derived from fundamentalist movements, although with their growth after the restoration of Charles II, these groups were later distinguished as nonconformist. For the record label, see Puritan Records. ... King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Non conformism is the term of KKK ...

Recusant today tends to apply to the very small number of English Roman Catholics who are neither converts nor descended from immigrants. Some English-speaking sedevacantist Catholics use the term to describe their movement. Sede vacante coat of arms, used when there is no reigning pope. ...

The Dukes of Norfolk, whose surname is Howard (Fitzalan-Howard) are probably the most prominent recusant family, while recusancy has been historically focused in Northern England. The Acton (also known as Acton-Dalberg) family is also well-known. Lord Acton authored the now famous maxim: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk holding the baton of the Earl Marshal. ... The Howard family is called Englands second family. ... Northern England, The North or North of England is a rather ill-defined term, with no universally accepted definition. ... John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton (January 10, 1834 - June 19, 1902), English historian, only son of Sir Richard Dalberg-Acton, 7th Baronet, and grandson of the Neapolitan admiral, Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet, was born at Naples. ...

Some of the other recusant families include the Ainscough, Throckmorton, Cary-Elwes or Elwes, Berkeley (of Spetchley), Weld, Weld-Blundell (or Weld Blundell), Ward, Holman, Fitzherbert (of Swynnerton), Fitzherbert-Brockholes, De Trafford (or de Trafford), Trappes-Lomax (Trappes of Nidd), Stourton, Vavasour, Clifford (of Chudleigh), Bedingfeld, Petre (some branches), Scarisbrick (some branches), Talbot, Hornyold, Towneley and Stonor families, as well as branches of non-wealthy families with such surnames as Pope, Payne, Wilson, Young, Simpson, Blount, and Turner, among others. In Wales, the few recusant families include the Herberts of Treowen and the Vaughans of Courtfield (of the family of Cardinal Vaughan). Ainscough (Ayscough/Askew/Ascough) - a Catholic family with origins in Lincolnshire, where, as Ayscough, they owned estates around Stallingborough and Bedale. ... Francis Throckmorton (1554—1584) was a conspirator against Queen Elizabeth I of England. ... Scarisbrick (commonly pronounced as Scays-brick) is a village in West Lancashire, England. ... Herbert Cardinal Vaughan Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (April 15, 1832 – June 19, 1903) was a British Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster. ...

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of wealthy families converted to Roman Catholicism, including branches of the Bellingham (Ireland), Fraser (Scotland), Lane-Fox, Noel (Gainsborough), Radcliffe (England), Crichton-Stuart (Scotland) and Strickland (Malta) families, and provided the Church with much-needed financial support. The Earldom of Gainsborough has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... The title of Marquess of Bute was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1796 for the 4th Earl of Bute (in the Peerage of Scotland). ... Baron Strickland was a title created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom on 19 January 1928 for Sir Gerald Strickland, the former Governor of the Leeward Islands, Tasmania, Western Australia, and New South Wales (1913-1917), former MP for Lancaster and then Prime Minister of Malta. ...

Conversely, some old recusant families, like the earls of Shrewsbury, the viscounts Gage, and the Giffards of Chillington, embraced Anglicanism. The Earl of Shrewsbury is the senior Earl on the Roll in the Peerage of England (the more senior Earldom of Arundel being held by the Duke of Norfolk). ... The title of Viscount Gage was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1720. ...

The principal growth in the numbers of Roman Catholics in modern England has arisen from immigration (most notably from Ireland) and not dramatically through conversion, although those who self-identify as English are second only to the Irish in membership in the Roman Catholic Church in the UK. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Individuals

A noteworthy recusant was composer, William Byrd. Some of Byrd's most popular motets were actually written as a type of correspondence to a friend and fellow composer, Philip de Monte, who wrote his own motets in response, such as the Super Flumina Babylonis. These correspondence motets often feature themes of oppression or the hope of deliverance. William Byrd William Byrd (c. ... In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions. ...

An infamous recusant was Guy Fawkes who was an English soldier and member of a Roman Catholic conspiracy, who was arrested whilst attempting to carry out the Gunpowder Plot on 5 November 1605. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 1605 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Others include a large proportion of Jacobites, such as the Earl of Derwentwater, particularly those enobled in the Jacobite Peerage. This article is not about the Jacobite Orthodox Church, nor is it about Jacobinism or the earlier Jacobean period. ... The title of Earl of Derwentwater was created in the Peerage of England in 1688. ... After the deposition by the English parliament in February 1689 of King James II and VII from the thrones of England and Ireland (the Scottish Estates followed suit on April 11, 1689), he and his successors continued to create peers and baronets, which they believed was their right. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.

The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Nuttall Encyclopædia is an early-20th-century encyclopedia, edited by Rev. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia article
• Thames Valley Papists from Reformation to Emancipation 1534 - 1829 by Tony Hadland (published 1992 in hard copy as ISBN 0950743143, electronic version of 2001 added illustrations).
• Lyford Grange Agnus Dei a banned Papal medallion, hidden in roof timbers for 400 years, found in 1959.