The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-12-04 00:00:00

THE REV. R. W. ENRAGHT.

The arrest of the Rev. R. W. Enraght, of Holy
Trinity, Bordesley, was effected at Birmingham on
Saturday. The writ was served upon Mr. Enraght at
his residence by Mr. Roper, the sheriff's officer for the
borough of Birmingham.
The news that the writ had arrived spread quickly,
and between twelve and one o'clock a number of Mr.
Enra,ght's Mends arrived at the house to witness his
arrest. Ir. Roper, the sheriff's officer' arrived about
one o'clock, and was ushered into the drawing-room,
where he was joined, after a short delay by Mr.
Enraght, who wore his cassock. The sheriff's officer
having produced the writ for Mr. Enraght's arrest,
the later, amid the cheers of his friends, delivered
the following written protest :
" I solemnly protest, in the name of God and of the
Church of England, against you arresting me or interfering
with me in any way under the authority proceeding from
the Court of Lord Penzance, whose jurisdiction over me in
spiritual matters I do not acknowledge."
Mr. Harris, one of the churchwardens, addressing
the sheriff's officer, also said, "In my name and in
the name of my colleague I most emphatically protest
against this arrest."
The arrest having been completed, Mr. Enraght
and his friends filed out of the room into the church-
yard, which was crowded, and there was another great
concourse outside. Immediately the vicar appeared
the concourse cheered enthusiastically, numbers of
people pressing forward to shake him by the hand.
On reaching the churchyard gate the vicar motioned
to the crowd that he wished to address them, and
immediately there were cries of "Silence" and "Hats
off." Mr. Enraght, who spoke in a firm, clear voice,
said:—
"My dear Brethren,--You are, many of you, I am sure,
puzzled to find out what your vicar is going to prison for.
I have lived quietly among you for more than six years,
trying, in God's name, to serve you. I will not keep you
long in explanation, but will just say that Mr. Gladstone
(applause), the present Prime Minister, said 30 years ago, in
in his pamphlet on the 'Royal Supremacy,' and the words
were reprinted by him in 1877, that we Churchmen have
long been suffering from a gross violation of the true con-
stitutional and legal order of things in Church matters, and
therefore of our strict rights as Englishmen.' Now you well
know in Birmingham there are many persons enlightened
and honest enough to desire progress and improvement
where abuses exist, and to cry 'Forward' in all such
matters. There are others, 'dog-in-the-manger people
(groans), ever ready to stop improvements and keep UP
abuses if they can. Well, then, the Church Associa-
tion, in Birmingham and elsewhere, are trying their little
best to keep up abuses in the Church that thereby they may
destroy the true position, doctrines, and worship of the
Church of England. They have got some bad legal deci-
sions, and I am sorry to say our Archbishops a,nd some of
our Bishops are on their side. Hence the preilint storm.
It is because thousands of English clergy and hundreds of
thousands of the laity long agreed that they would not
stand this any longer that lam now going to gaol. With
God's help and your assistance we shall break down the
blind, misguided, and unchristian attack on Jesus Christ
and His cause in this land. I ask your very earnest prayers
on my behalf and for the English Church, that we may
do God's will; and may God bless you all! We will
praise God for all His mercies by singing the Doxology
before I go."
The Doxology was then sung by the crowd, and
amid great excitement the vicar and the sheriff's
officer, accompanied by the churchwardens and a
large body of persons who repeatedly cheered him,
proceeded to Bordesley station, where they left for
Warwick by the 2.4 train. Mr. Enraght was accom-
panied to Warwick by some personal friends.

The Rev. R. W. Enraght, who is confined in War-
wick Gaol, was visited On Monday by his wife
and his curate, and several clergymen and other sym-

phthiaers left their cards. No one is allowed to see
Enraght wittrout first obtaining an order from
the.vieiting justices. He was visited on Tuesday by his
legal adviser, who found him in excellent health and
spirits. Mr. Enraght's friends, however, complain that
they are only permitted to see him in the presence of
a warder, and that even Mrs. Enraght is subjected to
this irksome discipline when she visits her husband.
Permission has been given to Mr. Enraght to furnish
his roomo, and both letters and papers addressed to
him will be delivered unopened. His meals are sup-
plied to him from a neighbouring inn.

On Tuesday night a large meeting of the congrega-
tion of Holy Trinity, Borclesley, was held, to express
sympathy with their imprisoned vicar, and adopt a,
memorial to the Archbishop of Canterbury expostu-
lating with his Grace upon the mischievious opera-
tion of the Public Worship Act, for which his Grace
is held primarily responsible, and inquiring what steps,
if any, his Grace proposes to adopt to mitigate the
evils which, in the opinion of the memorialists, it is
bringing upon the Church of England. The resolu-
tions proposed were unanimously carried.

'..\.learly 500 new members have joined t:r.e English
Church Union, and a sum approaching £l,OOO has
been contributed to the defence fund in response to
Archdeacon Denison's appeal for £3OO. The number
of signatures to the petition to Her Majesty for Mr.
Dale's release up to Tuesday was considerably over
40,000.

A stormy meeting of the English Church Union
was held at Oxford on Monday night, at which a letter
from Dr. Pusey was read, upon the ornaments rubric
and the imprisonment of Mr. Dale. Dr. Pusey dwelt
upon the legal aspect of the case, and said that an
occasion had arrived when the Privy Council could
be resisted where congregations were as one. He
would not dwell on the charge of disobedience to
the bishops, because the bishops had claimed obedi-
ence, not to themselves, but to the supposed law.
He did not believe that any bishop wished to inter-
fere with the mode of worship sanctioned by the
Ornaments Rubrics provided that a united congrega-
tion said it was an aim to devotion. Resolutions were
passed regretting the moral injury caused to religion
by a policy of prosecution and thanking Mr. Dale,
Mr. Enraght, and Mr. Green for refusing to recog-
nize the authority of secular courts in spiritual
matters. There were, however, some dissentients
among the undergraduates.