The status of the Anglican Church as the Established Church in England means that many of its practices are enshrined in law. Even today its priests and lay officers can be taken to Court if they are believed to have broken these laws.
In 1874 the Public Worship Regulation Act was passed. The aim of this Act was to curb the Ritualist practices adopted by many Anglo-Catholic churches (e.g. the priest celebrating Mass facing eastward, the wearing of vestments and the mixing of water and wine in the chalice) and which the Evangelical wing of the church found objectionable.
Prosecutions of Ritualist priests followed; in almost every case the priest concerned chose to follow his conscience rather than the verdict of the court. This…
When he resumed his duties, brave Father Bell Cox followed his conscience and continued to practice his religion in the way that he believed best honoured his Creator and Redeemer. This resulted in further complaints from Hakes and his allies.
On May 4th, 1887, Father Bell Cox was arrested under warrant for contumacy and imprisoned at Walton. There was an outcry and Bishop Ryle received much criticism and condemnation for his role in the affair. Father Bell Cox was released after seventeen days on a technicality although the appeal process was to go all the way to the House of Lords.
Father Bell Cox was the last priest to be imprisoned as a result of the 1874 Act, although the Act itself was not repealed until 1963.
Father Bell Cox’s example of courage and resolve in the face of religious intolerance and persecution mirrors that of St. Margaret herself and stands as both an inspiration and a challenge to us in the 21st Century.