Reference code: GB-0298-LC/A5
Title: Lisbon College Conversion Literature
Dates of creation: 1777-1853
Extent: 2 files
Held by: Ushaw
Origination: Lisbon College
Language: English
The English College of SS. Peter and Paul at Lisbon (or, as it is more commonly known, Lisbon College) was founded by Pedro Coutinho in 1624 as a college for English students training for the priesthood and mission work in England. As a
pontifical college it was awarded the same privileges and rights as other colleges centrally controlled by Rome, such as the English College in Rome, whose aim was the maintenance of the Catholic faith in England, Scotland and Ireland. The driving
force behind the college in its early years was William Newman. Although he was never to become president, Newman founded the college from property entrusted by the estate of the late Nicholas Ashton, a Catholic chaplain in Lisbon. Initial progress
was slow until the arrival of a group of English students and teachers from the English College at Douai in 1628. The first president, albeit briefly, was Archdeacon Joseph Haynes who died the following year. The reputation of the college as a
centre of academic excellence and its relevance as an English institution in Lisbon attracted patronage from varied sources during the seventeenth century, including Pedro da Costa and Maria de Oliveira Leitoa who transferred important funds to the
College in exchange for daily masses for their special intention. In 1679, Pope Innocent XI granted the College the privilege of being considered as a High Altar of Christ on the Cross. In spite of its wealthy benefactors and papal patronage, the
college faced a number of challenges in the following centuries. In 1755, Lisbon was shaken by a terrible earthquake in which 20,000 people died and 60,000 houses and 60 palaces and convents were destroyed. The college suffered badly both in terms
of the physical devastation of its buildings and the mental well-being of many of its students and superiors who, like most of the population of Lisbon, chose to live under tents in the gardens of the college rather than risk being inside in fear of
another quake. The college suffered another setback when it was occupied by French forces during Napoleon's invasion of Portugal in 1807 and, just days before the second French invasion, the president decided to close the college down, with all
students being sent to an Anglo-Portuguese school in England until the war ended in 1814. The college was finally closed in 1973. Since the passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act in Britain in 1829, the college's raison d'etre had ceased to exist
although it's high reputation as a teaching and training establishment enabled it to survive for another 144 years.
Descriptions of conversions of Catholics, probably used by Lisbon College for educational purposes.
Lisbon College closed in 1973 and this collection, along with the rest of the Lisbon Archive and Library, was transferred to Ushaw College by Mgr James Sullivan in the following year.
Open for consultation.
Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Lisbonian Society and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners,
but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material
The papers follow the original arrangement of the collection which is broadly chronological.
Calendared card catalogue
LC/A5/1 [?1777]
Language: English
Fragments of a spiritual autobiography relating mystical experiences
Fascicles 8, 9, 10 & 13
4 items
LC/A5/2 [early 19th century]
Language: English
Biographical account of the life of Catherine Mary Selway (1730 - 1807)
Written by her director
Catherine Mary Selway was a convert who came to Lisbon in 1777 and is buried in the college
Two additional copies
17f
LC/A5/3 [early 19th century]
Language: English
Draft or copy of a letter from a Catholic parent to a non-Catholic child
For the instruction of converts
2f
LC/A5/4 [1810]
Language: English
Extract of a letter written by a convert in answer to various letters and pamphlets sent by him for the purpose of reclaiming him from popery
16f
LC/A5/5 1825
Language: English
Narrative account of the conversion of Richard Harris, including correspondence between Harris and E. Winstanley, as well as extracts from Harris's diary
7 letters/2 items
LC/A5/6 [1830]
Language: English
Notes by William Poynter on his
Christianity: or the evidence and character of the Christian religion
For the instruction of converts
1f
LC/A5/7 [1830]
Language: English
Letter by a convert to the Catholic religion at Lisbon - Joseph Whitwell - to his brother in England
With two additional copies
10f
LC/A5/8 27 November 1853
Narrative by “Henrietta” of her conversion to Catholicity by means of her Protestant bible and prayer book
Written with a view to publication to encourage other potential converts. She was instructed by Ilsley and baptised by Winstanley
64f
