THE REV. R. W. ENRAGHT ON CHURCH AND STATE.
On Tuesday evening the annual meeting of the local branch of the Church of England Working-men’s Society was held at the Bradford Church Institute, under the presidency of Mr. J. E. Walton. There were also on the platform the Revs. R. W. Enraght, J. Edhouse, J. Ellis and J. E. Loughnan ; Messrs. J. E. Williamson, Wm. Inglis (president of parent society), A. E. Marshall and J. R. Dore.
There was moderate attendance.
The Chairman, in opening the
proceedings, remarked that when last year they celebrated their
anniversary they had to bewail the spirit of persecution that had
pursued a faithful priest of the Church even to prison.
The
Rev. S. F. Green was then in prison, and they invited Dr Belcher to
visit Bradford to let them into the secret of that famous, or more
correctly that infamous “bill of costs,” to discharge which Mr
Green furniture was sold, and Mrs Green and her children were turned
into the street. It was, however, with feelings of mingled shame and
thankfulness, that they found Mr Green still in prison, the shame
that men calling themselves Churchmen should be willing to imprison a
priest ; and thankfulness that Mr Green had been ready to go to
prison and stay there rather than betray the rights and liberties of
the Church of England. (Applause.)
Mr Tooth, Mr Dale, Mr Enraght, and Mr Green went to prison for simple obedience to a plain law of the Church – plain notwithstanding the muddling of all the lawyers. But they were living in the days of persecution with the remarkable difference that instead of the persecutors being dreadful Roman Catholics they have been depicted to them, they were meek and mild Protestants and members of that admirable Church Society – (laughter) – men who strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel. (Applause.)
The Rev. R. W. Enraght then delivered an address on the Royal supremacy over the Church. He admitted that the subject was rather dry, and that not much enthusiasm could be got up with it ; but they would agree with him that the subject was the key of the whole trouble that was agitating Church and State, and therefore that it was important to arrive at the truth. Since the Reformation the ecclesiastical power which the Pope had claimed had been transferred to the Sovereign. Clergymen when they took an oath that they would be bound by the Reformation state of things, and therefore according to what sundry of those clergy had been doing of late, and as all the Ritualistic conspirators wished to do at their hearts, they had laid themselves open to the charge of being anarchists and bad citizens.
That was the position taken up by the Archbishop of Canterbury a few months ago ; but was inclined to think that his Grace was changing his mind on the question. It mattered not, however, who took up the position, there was not one grain of truth in it.
The lecturer quoted documents to prove that all the King had to do was to act with the estates of the realm, including Convocation, leaving the Church free to manage its own spiritual affairs. These documents of the Reformation period spoke of restoring certain authority to the Crown which had more or less been monopolised by the Popes ; and the theory of the documents, whether emanating from the Church or the State, was to abolish foreign usurpation. The intention was never to enslave the Church of England to the Crown or State. (Applause.)
Now the Crown, which was practically the Lords and Commons, not only claimed but had carried their claim of authority in matters spiritual to the extent of passing Acts of Parliament, and also affirmed that the Convocations of the Church were practically nothing at all. The Church Discipline Act, the Public Worship Regulation Bill, and like measures had left them scarcely one shred of liberty in things ecclesiastical and judicial. But they meant to have their liberty back again. (Applause.)
It was an abominable tyranny which the Church now suffered, and if not absolutely free according to the extreme theory of the Catholic Church, yet free so far as all the documents of the Reformation declared she should be free. (Applause.)
Mr W. Inglis then moved – “That the Bradford branch of the English Church Union desires to express its deep sense of thankfulness to the Rev. Sidney Faithhorn Green for the firmness with which he has chosen to suffer imprisonment rather than yield obedience to the secular courts in spiritual matters, and thus betray the constitutional liberties of the Church of England.”
He said that perhaps the reason he asked to move that resolution was because he was the only layman present who had had the privilege of being locked up with two confessors, and had to kneel upon the floor of a prison cell to receive the blessing of imprisoned priests of the Church of England. He thought they were right in asserting that Mr Green should not be in prison whilst a Royal Commission was sitting to consider ecclesiastical law.
The Rev. J. Eddowes, of St. Jude’s, seconded the resolution, and said he devoutly wished, along with Archdeacon Denison, that Lord Penzance’s Court might soon be banished and its memory go down to the execration of posterity.
The Rev. J. E. Loughnan, vicar of St. James’s, in supporting the resolution said it was true that Mr. Green could end his imprisonment if he chose, but if it had not been a matter of choice on Mr Green’s part they, perhaps, would not have been there to sympathise with him ; but Mr. Green knew, what his enemies could not see, that there was a noble reason which kept the cell door locked, though he had the key in his pocket. (Applause.)
The resolution was then put and carried, only a few hands being held up against it. – Mr. J. R. Dore, secretary of the Yorkshire District of the Church Union, moved a vote of thanks to the Re, R. W. Enraght.
The rev. J. Ellis, of Wilsden,
seconded the resolution, which was passed ; and the Rev. lecturer
having responded, the meeting terminated.
Bradford Daily Telegraph 7 June 1882
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*N.B. because of his active opposition to the Conservative Government's Public Worship Regulation Act., and against the wishes of his congregation, the Revd Richard Enraght, his wife Dorothea, and their six young children were evicted at Easter 1883, from their Bordesley Vicarage by order of the Lord Bishop of Worcester.
The Enraght Family with the help of the Church Union, moved to Brighton in Sussex, where Fr Enraght could continue his ministry helping his former vicar, Fr Wagner of St Paul's Brighton.
See the 'My Ordinations Oaths' page, written by Revd Richard Enraght while in Warwick Prison in December 1880.
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Transcript by D. Sharp 2025