Banbury - Religion

Religion

In the year 1377 a pardon was given to a Welshman, who was wanted for killing another Welshman, after the accused person had taken sanctuary in Banbury church.

The Neithrop district of Banbury was the scene of rioting in 1589 after the Neithrop's maypole was destroyed by Puritans.

Reverend William Whateley (1583–1639), whose father was several times bailiff or mayor of Banbury, was a notable Banbury vicar and was instituted in 1610, but had already been a 'lecturer' there for some years. In 1626 Whateley refused communion to his own brother, who had been presented for religious incompetence. A report by the church wardens in 1619 said he was a well liked and tolerant priest. The Quakers' meeting hall by the town centre lane called 'The Leys' was built in 1751.

The dominant Religion in the town is Christianity, with many various denominations such as Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, etc. all present. The fastest growing denomination is Catholicism - the growth started mainly with large scale migration of Catholics to the town in 1960s in search of work. The Catholic population at this time was largely Irish or those of Irish descent. More recently since the start of the EU expansion in 2004, numbers of Catholics in Banbury have swelled again, this time due to a large influx of Eastern European Catholics, many originating from Poland.