Church life in the nineteenth century: Dissent


There were a number of people who objected to the existence of the Church of England and its established status within England. Among these dissenters were the Wesleyan Methodists and several other protestant denominations as well as atheists and Unitarians. These groups opposed the state registration of births only through the Baptismal Registers of the Parish Church and since 1753 the permission of the established church as the only one that was able to conduct marriages. At the end of life, church ownership of graveyards and burial sites meant that, although dissenters could be buried the rites that were used may have been ones of which they disapproved. In addition every citizen was required to pay a local rate towards the church upkeep, aid to the poor and the maintenance of the parish (for example the repair of roads). Although dissenters and atheists were allowed to attend the vestry meetings (because they were open to all parishioners) overall control remained in the hands of the established church.

Education at Oxford and Cambridge universities was only open to those who would subscribe to the thirty nine articles of the Church of England. This rule also applied to the newly founded University of Durham. University College London was founded in 1826 but was not allowed to grant degrees, although those who attended did not have to assent to the thirty nine articles. The effect of these rules was that no dissenter could obtain a degree in England and to do so would need to go to a university in Scotland or elsewhere.

In 1818 and again in 1824 Parliament passed Bills to fund the building of new churches. Creating a new parish was less easy than building a proprietary chapel and there were many issues such as the need for compensation to the old parish for the loss of fees. A compromise was reached in the administration of Sir Robert Peel (1818): new parishes would pay taxes for twenty years to maintain the parish from which they were derived. Further pressure on the Government yielded a Bill to abolish church rates in 1834, thus placing repair costs at the expense of the Treasury, but the Government failed and the Bill did not become law. The Poor law of 1834 funded the establishment of work houses. The prevailing view at the time was that those in the work house should be allowed no privileges and thus were not allowed to attend the parish church on Sundays (in case life in the work house became too attractive and there was no incentive to try to reach a situation where they might be able to leave). Chaplains were allowed to visit work houses instead, including those belonging to Dissenting denominations. This move enhanced the case for Dissenters to be bale to have as full role in public life and discourse. In the UK in the twenty first century what church matters do you think could cause such wide interest and debate?


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