Catholic print networks in Restoration England, 1660-1688

Abstract

This thesis explores the activities of those who engaged in the Catholic print trade, primarily in London, throughout the reigns of Charles II and James VII & II. It proposes that there persisted a small, but thriving, market in Catholic books produced in London, particularly around Somerset House, that served England and Wales. This Catholic print trade functioned through a series of cross-confessional networks built on commercial, geographical, religious, and social bonds. These networks involved avowed Catholics and Protestants as well as a number of printers and booksellers with unknown or shifting religious affiliations. The trade was aided by the social and legal ambiguity over what made a text ‘popish’, and this sometimes enabled ostensibly ‘Catholic’ books to become bestsellers. To produce and disperse the printed works, networks used methods common to missionary and recusant populations as well as the illicit book trade. However, the operation of the trade also reflected Restoration-era developments and an awareness of the post-1660 legal context, including the 1662 Licensing Act. Changes in the political situation continued to alter these networks, most significantly during the Popish Plot and ‘tory reaction’ and the reign of the Catholic James VII & II. In particular, the latter superimposed a more homogeneously Catholic, royally backed network onto the market. By reconstructing the networks of people who produced Catholic texts, this thesis restores the agency of many Catholics, fleshing out the lives of previously obscure bookmen while simultaneously offering reassessments of major figures including James and Catherine of Braganza. At the same time, it demonstrates the benefits of placing Catholics’ experiences within a broader English context and showcases the multifaceted relationships between early modern persons. Finally, it offers a basis for exploring overlapping English Catholic and English Protestant public spheres by showing how, even when illicit, Catholic print never existed in isolation.