Sentence:  In spite of the increase in numbers and prestige brought about by the conversions of Newman and other Tractarians of the 1840 's and 1850 's , the Catholic segment of England one hundred years ago <WSD>was</WSD> a very small one ( four per cent , or 800000 ) which did not enjoy a gracious hearing from the general public . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)