Prosecution of the Protestants in Madeira

Author:

Gerald Luckhurst

Report:

33

Page:

91

Year:

2006

Subject Matter:

Religion and Religious Institutions

Excerpt:

The story of religious intolerance that led to the expulsion of many hundreds of Madeiran protestants in 1846, and their subsequent dispersal around the world, has been told many times. This paper aims to re-examine the events in Madeira from 1838 to 1846. The central figure in the story is Robert Reid Kalley (1809-1888), a Scottish physicist and bible society missionary (illustrated). The author concludes that Kalley succeeded in provoking an international diplomatic row, abusing the hospitality of the islanders and using the might of the British Empire for his own ends. The Portuguese Government was forced into making a payment of £1687 7s 6d. Preaching the Gospel, as the Consul George Stoddart remarked, paid better than shipping wine.

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