Catholic Roll
Preserved but no longer current.
A document which English Roman Catholics were obliged to sign on taking their seats as Member of Parliament. It was abolished, and a single oath prescribed to all members by the 29, 30 Victoria, c. 19 (1866).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Catholic Roll” mean?
A document which English Roman Catholics were obliged to sign on taking their seats as Member of Parliament. It was abolished, and a single oath prescribed to all members by the 29, 30 Victoria, c. 19 (1866).
Is “Catholic Roll” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.