The Catholic Subjects of Elizabeth I

First published in 1978, The Catholic Subjects of Elizabeth I traces the history of the Catholics who refused to accept the Elizabethan State Church. It opens with a short account of the Marian restoration of Catholicism and includes, in order to show the religious alternative which the government offered, a chapter on the Elizabethan Church Settlement. The government legislation against Catholics is outlined and the plots which were the result of the legislation are treated in their European context. More detailed treatment is given to the Catholic exiles including an account of the remarkable Jesuit Robert Persons. A welcome feature of the book is the full account of the way of life possible for the Elizabethan recusant, the treatment of individual laymen such as Sir Thomas Tresham, and the chapters on the seminary priests and Jesuits.