History of the Catholic Church of Scotland

History of the Catholic Church of Scotland by Alphons Bellesheim is one of the most comprehensive nineteenth-century histories of Scottish Catholicism ever written. Originally published in four volumes between 1887 and 1890, the work was translated from German into English by Sir David Oswald Hunter Blair and traces the development of the Catholic Church in Scotland from the arrival of Christianity through to the restoration of the Scottish Catholic hierarchy in 1878.

 

Bellesheim presents a detailed chronological history of the Catholic Church in Scotland, beginning with the earliest Christian communities associated with St Ninian, St Columba, St Kentigern, and other missionary saints. He examines the spread of Christianity among the Picts, Scots, and Britons, the growth of the great Celtic monasteries such as Iona, and the gradual integration of the Scottish Church into the wider Roman Catholic tradition during the medieval period.

The narrative explores the establishment of dioceses, monasteries, and religious orders, alongside the influence of kings, bishops, abbots, and saints in shaping Scotland's religious life. Bellesheim pays particular attention to ecclesiastical reforms under rulers such as Malcolm III and Queen Margaret, the development of cathedral chapters and monastic foundations, and the Church's role in Scottish politics, education, and culture throughout the Middle Ages.

The later volumes examine the upheavals of the Scottish Reformation, the suppression of Catholic worship after 1560, and the perseverance of Catholic communities during centuries of persecution. Drawing extensively on Vatican archives, diplomatic correspondence, episcopal reports, and contemporary manuscripts, Bellesheim recounts the efforts of missionaries, recusant families, seminaries abroad, and the Scottish colleges in Europe to preserve the faith. The work concludes with the gradual revival of Catholicism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, culminating in Pope Leo XIII's restoration of the Scottish hierarchy in 1878.

 

Layout by Volume:

 

Volume I: From the Dawn of Christianity to the death of Alexander III, A.D. 400 - 1286.

Volume II:  From the Death of Alexander III. to the Suppression of the Catholic Religion, A.D. 1286 - 1500.

Volume III: From the Revolution of 1500 to the Death of James the Sixth, A.D. 1500 - 1625.

Volume IV: From the Accession of Charles the First to the Restoration of the Scottish Hierarchy, A.D. 1625 - 1878.

Alphons Bellesheim (1839–1912) was a German Catholic priest, theologian, and church historian whose meticulous research made him one of the foremost historians of the Catholic Church in Britain during the late nineteenth century. Born in Münster, Prussia (now Germany) on 2 August 1839, he studied theology and history before being ordained to the priesthood. His scholarly interests centered on ecclesiastical history, with a particular emphasis on the development of the Catholic Church in Scotland and England.

Bellesheim devoted many years to researching archival sources throughout Europe, including the Vatican Archives and collections in Germany, Belgium, France, and Britain. His work was distinguished by its extensive use of original manuscripts, papal correspondence, episcopal records, and diplomatic documents, enabling him to produce some of the most thoroughly documented studies of British Catholic history available at the time.

This is a fine 4 volume set in its original binding with green beveled cover boards and gilt titles on spine and gilt vignette on the front of each volume. There is some light folding and fraying to the tops and bottoms of each volume's spine and some minor bumping at the corners.

Each volume remains tightly bound with bright and clean pages throughout. There is some foxing around the paper edges to each volume. 

 

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This edition originates from the library The Benedictine Nun's Priory in Princethorpe, Warwickshire established early in the 19th century by French Benedictine nuns, who had settled in Warwickshire having been forced out of France following the French revolution. Each volume has the Priory's bookplate and stamp on the title page. It was presented to the Priory by a Mrs. Kelly in 1888 (inscribed in ink on title page in volume I).

This work consists of 4 volumes with a total weight of nearly 4.2 kg when packed. 

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