Welsh Church Act 1914

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The Welsh Church Act 1914 is an Act of Parliament by which the Church of England was divided and in " Wales and Monmouthshire " lost its status as the established church supported by the state (established church) , creating the Church in Wales . The Act had long been promoted by the non-conformists in Wales, who represented a large part of the population. The act was supported by the Liberal Party and opposed by the Conservative party (the bastion of the Anglicans).

The Act, implemented in 1920, was a controversial measure and was passed by the House of Commons as one of only seven statutes implemented under the terms of the Parliament Act 1911 . The Parliament Act limited the powers of the House of Lords so that the House of Lords , in which numerous Anglican bishops are members, could not veto. The most important change was in the financial area, because the church could no longer collect "tithe money" ( tithing , a property tax regardless of denomination). However, she kept her entire property and land (Glebes = parish goods).

meaning

The law was politically and historically significant as one of the earliest pieces of legislation exclusively related to Wales (and Monmouthshire) as opposed to the larger legal entity of "England and Wales".

The passage of this law was the result of a long campaign that had begun as early as the mid-19th century and was mainly led by Welsh nonconformists such as the Calvinistic Methodists , Baptists , Unitarians and other Protestant groups who fought against the "Tithes" having to pay the Church of England . The campaign was later heavily supported by the patriotic Cymru Fydd movement.

English Catholic author Gilbert Keith Chesterton made fun of the excitement this law caused in his poem Antichrist, or the Reunion of Christendom: An Ode . He addressed several times Frederick Edwin Smith , one of the main opponents.

Because the First World War broke out in August 1914 , the Act was given the Royal Assent on September 18, along with the Government of Ireland Act 1914 . In addition, the Royal Assent was given for the Suspensory Act 1914 , which stipulated that the other two acts would only come into force when the war was over. On March 31, 1920, most of the Welsh Church of England moved to the new Church in Wales , an independent province of the Anglican Communion . It has six dioceses headed by the Archbishop of Wales . However, 19 out of 20 congregations in Wales that were close to the border with England voted overwhelmingly to remain with the Church of England ( Border polls 1915–1916). For example, the parish of St Stephen's Church in Old Radnor ( Powys ) is still part of the Diocese of Hereford , England.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/4-5/91/contents
  2. ↑ Glanmor Williams: The Welsh Church from Reformation to Disestablishment, 1603-1920. University of Wales Press 2007.
  3. ↑ http://www.totalpolitics.com/blog/177342/the-parliament-act-a-century-on.thtml
  4. ↑ Simon J. Taylor: Disestablished Establishment: High and Earthed Establishment in the Church in Wales. In: Journal of Contemporary Religion. Feb 18, 2003: 227-240.
  5. ↑ P. Jenkins: A History of Modern Wales 1536–1990 . 1992.

literature

  • Paul O'Leary: Religion, Nationality and Politics: Disestablishment in Ireland and Wales 1868–1914. In: JR Guy, WG Neely (Ed.): Contrasts and Comparisons: Studies in Irish and Welsh Church History. 1999, pp. 89-113.
  • Simon J. Taylor: Disestablished Establishment: High and Earthed Establishment in the Church in Wales. In: Journal of Contemporary Religion 18.2 (2003): 227-240.
  • TG Watkin: Disestablishment, Self-determination and the Constitutional Development of the Church in Wales. In: Essays in Canon Law - A Study of the Church in Wales. University of Wales Press 1992.
  • Glanmor Williams: The Welsh Church from Reformation to Disestablishment, 1603-1920. University of Wales Press 2007.