Timeline
Britain 1760 - 1913

1778 Greater religious freedom for Roman Catholics

Catholic churches
Catholics built lots of churches in Preston.
This church is St Augustines, which was built between 1838-1840.

Since the 1530's many laws had been passed preventing Roman Catholics from practising their religion and building Catholic churches in England. In the 18th century the number of Roman Catholics living in England grew after migration from Catholic Ireland. The Government began to relax the laws in 1778 and by 1829 all remaining anti-Catholic laws were abolished. After 1780 many new Catholic churches and chapels were built in Preston. With the influx of Irish people in the 1840s and 1850s, Preston became one of the most strongly Catholic towns in England.

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