Rethinking Recusancy

The term ‘recusant’ is most strongly associated with post-Reformation English Catholics who refused to attend Church of England services during penal times, and the recusant rolls on which their absence was recorded. This workshop will look beyond these definitions, assessing how far the notion of recusancy can be applied to other overt declarations of religious allegiance. Areas covered will include:

• ‘Alternative Recusancies’ (e.g. puritan recusancy, partial recusancy)
• ‘Transnational Recusancy’ (the experience of those who refused to live in a country denying them freedom of worship, specifically Catholic exiles and expatriates in Continental Europe)
• ‘Representing Recusancy’ (early modern Catholic writers’ deployment of parrhesia when speaking out about their faith, and the later representation of recusants in literature and confessional history).

The papers will feed into a special issue of the journal Reformation, planned for 2026. 

This event is by invitation only, in the first instance. Tea and coffee will be provided, and modest UK travel expenses can be covered.

Image credit: National Archives