Prayer, providence and empire : special worship in the British world, 1783-1919

European settlers in Canada, Australia and South Africa said they were building ‘better Britains’ overseas. But devastating wars, rebellions, epidemics and natural disasters often threatened these new societies. It is striking that settlers in such environments turned to old traditions of collective prayer and worship to make sense of these calamities. At times of acute stress, colonial governments set aside whole days of fasting, humiliation and intercession so that entire populations could join together to implore God’s intervention, assistance or guidance. And at moments of relief and celebration, such as the coming of peace, or the birth of a royal, the whole empire might participate in synchronised acts of thanksgiving and praise to God. This book asks why acts of ‘special worship’ with origins in early modernity became numerous in the democratic, pluralistic and often secularised conditions found in the settler societies of the ‘British world’. Such intense and highly visible occasions had the potential to reach all members of a colonial society: community-wide occasions of prayer were hard to ignore, they required considerable organisation, and they stimulated debate and reflection on a range of political, social and religious issues. The book argues that religion, and more specifically traditional rituals and practices, had a vital role to play in the formation of regional identities and local particularisms in what remained, in many ways, a loosely networked and unconnected empire. This book examines the old traditions of communal prayer and contrition in the ‘new world’ contexts of Britain’s settler colonies in Canada, Australia and South Africa. In explaining why colonial governments summoned their peoples to worship in times of stress and celebration, this book provides a compelling look at the part played by traditional customs, practices and institutions in community formation. Front Matter Dedication Contents List of tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Calls to prayer The churches and special worship Participants and observances Communities of prayer Droughts and special prayers Prayers for monarchy Conclusion Appendix: Acts of special worship appointed by civil authorities in Britain’s Australian, South African and Canadian colonies, 1783–1919 Bibliography Index