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tree_and_leafFrom aedifica
in novels set in Great Britain, I keep seeing references to people being "church" or "chapel". What does that mean?
This terminology has, as far as I know, died out. "Church" is the established church, i.e. the Church of England, and people who are "chapel" were members of one of the Protestant "non-conformist" churches, which might mean Methodists (the largest group), Presbyterians (who later became the URC), Congregationalists, or Baptists, etc., probably. There's often a class element to who belonged to which denomination; Methodism tended to be most successful with the 'respectable' working class, and there's a big overlap with the emerging Labour movement. "Church" people tended to be better off, and for a long time "Chapel" people were barred from standing for parliament etc (as were Catholics, though it was easier to conform enough to satisfy the law if you were Chapel than if you were RC).
Don't be confused by the Scottish tendency, still apparent at times to refer to Roman Catholic churches as 'chapels'. It should also be noted that the national church in Scotland is the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian (though it is more independent of the state than the C of E is, and it can't really be called 'established). 'Episcopalians,' as Scottish Anglicans are called, are a very small minority.
aedificain novels set in Great Britain, I keep seeing references to people being "church" or "chapel". What does that mean?
This terminology has, as far as I know, died out. "Church" is the established church, i.e. the Church of England, and people who are "chapel" were members of one of the Protestant "non-conformist" churches, which might mean Methodists (the largest group), Presbyterians (who later became the URC), Congregationalists, or Baptists, etc., probably. There's often a class element to who belonged to which denomination; Methodism tended to be most successful with the 'respectable' working class, and there's a big overlap with the emerging Labour movement. "Church" people tended to be better off, and for a long time "Chapel" people were barred from standing for parliament etc (as were Catholics, though it was easier to conform enough to satisfy the law if you were Chapel than if you were RC).
Don't be confused by the Scottish tendency, still apparent at times to refer to Roman Catholic churches as 'chapels'. It should also be noted that the national church in Scotland is the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian (though it is more independent of the state than the C of E is, and it can't really be called 'established). 'Episcopalians,' as Scottish Anglicans are called, are a very small minority.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-18 08:44 pm (UTC)