Activity in 2024
Aims
The research group considered three main areas: Collections and the complex questions around documentation and care; audiences, engagement and interpretation; and how (or whether) to celebrate the 2029 Bicentenary of the 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act. Another important aim was to create an informal network for curators, archivists, custodians of church and private collections, historians and academics specialising in British Catholic culture in the early modern period.
Activities
Over the two years, we organised four study days at sites of English Catholic heritage. Each of these combined formal presentations with close study of domestic and sacred objects, often in their original architectural setting. An important element of each of these days was the opportunity for meeting over lunch to exchange ideas. Visits took us to:
- South East: Arundel Castle, studying a major collection of textiles and silver
- North East: Ushaw and the Faith Museum at Auckland Castle, focusing on engagement and interpretation
- South West: Wardour Castle, a single collection still in use in its original chapel setting, with particular challenges for conservation
- East Anglia: Oxburgh Hall, home of a Catholic family before, during and after penal times.
Visits alternated with a series of online workshops open to all that addressed specific questions:
- Current Studies in Curating Catholic Material Culture presented four current research projects and included contributions from early career doctoral researchers.
- Why Catholic Material Culture matters looked at contemporary British Catholics and the relevance of British Catholic material culture today, not only as heritage artefacts that help form a unique Catholic identity but also as spiritual goods at risk.
- Sacred relics in a secular world considered specific questions around the care, meaning and use of relics and presented some inspiring recent projects.
- Archives, Artefacts and Life Writing, convened with Prof Alison Shell at UCL, looked at the value of material culture to biography and hagiography. For this final event, we were pleased to include speakers in Ireland and the USA.
Research Outcomes
Our research discovered a high level of interest in the subject: the research group has had contact with hundreds of people. Although not all have formally signed up as members, almost 300 have attended events and there are many more following on Twitter/X. Although faith and theology are one aspect of the subject, overall it is very accessible, particularly where our research relates to biography, families and domestic life.
We also realised very early on that our period needed to extend beyond 1829 to the mid-nineteenth century and the artistic flourishing that took place alongside the Catholic revival.
It was good to be able to collaborate with established institutions like the British Museum, UCL, National Trust and Catholic Bishops Conference for England & Wales. Our research has inspired further work, such as the UCL workshop Rethinking Recusancy, the acquisition of an important George IV silver salver for the British Museum, and further study of the pietra dura altar at Wardour Chapel.
There are now many ideas for potential activities to mark the 2029 bicentenary, including web resources, nationwide events, publications and documentation projects. We hope to be able to secure long-term funding soon to develop these plans further.
Meanwhile, a summary of our research will be available shortly in a booklet, Grace, Piety and Memory: The Material Culture of British Catholics 1534-1850.
Image: Crucifix belonging to Blessed Edward Oldcorne’s, late C16 – early C17. Bar Convent, York. Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Activity in 2023
Our first event, Sacred Textiles at Arundel Castle focused on Collections. The day combined three papers on the preservation and re-purposing of objects, particularly vestments, with close study of silver and vestments at Arundel Castle as a case study of a family collection over three centuries.
Addressing the second research question, the group made a two-day visit to Ushaw and The Auckland Project for the seminar Interpreting Catholic Material Culture for Today’s Audiences. Alongside the visits, we heard honest appraisals of several recent successes in exhibitions, audience engagement, learning and marketing.
An online workshop, Current Studies in Curating Catholic Material Culture, considered aspects of collections, their formation, custody and interpretation through the work of three current PhD researchers and a report on the management of archives of Catholic religious institutes.
Each event has included time for discussion of the research questions, with informal networking and discussion prioritised at in-person events during regular breaks.
Further research
It has become clear that this is a huge subject: this year’s activities are potentially just the beginning of a much larger study and output.
Addressing our second question, a further online workshop for the end of February on the theme “Why Catholic material culture matters” will look at the lived experience of British Catholic communities today.
Two additional half-day online workshops and two study days will focus on questions that have arisen during 2023, including:
- Ethical questions around dispersal, display and handling of consecrated objects and relics
- Finding a common language: demystifying collections and decoding jargon
- Why do these stories and objects matter today?
We plan to produce a resource introducing curators to these themes, citing examples of good practice we have learned about and giving links for further information.
Image: ‘Faith Underground’ display at the Faith Museum, Bishop Auckland. Image courtesy of Claire Marsland
