If one religion only were allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary, if there were but two, the people wou’d cut one another’s throats; but as they are such a multitude, they all live happy and in peace.
Letters Concerning the English Nation, by Mr. de Voltaire (London, 1733)
Mapping Multifaith London is the first attempt to record and visualise non-Anglican places of worship and memory in the eighteenth-century city. The project will chart the astonishing diversity of religious life in London outside the established Church of England, exploring the ways in which Jews, Catholics, Orthodox and European protestants, alongside Nonconformist denominations, settled and developed within the urban environment between 1670 and 1750.
Based on archival sources and existing digital resources, the project will create a network of scholars with expertise on particular non-Anglican religious practices. It will culminate in an interactive map on which the lives, networks and places of worship of non-Anglicans can be charted, generating new perspectives on the cultural and religious topography of eighteenth-century London.
Watch this space for updates on upcoming events and news about the project as it develops.