Dear All,
When I was working on my doctoral dissertation in 1987-88, I ran across a
fascinating article by James S. Donnelly, Jr., entitled, "Pastorini and
Captain Rock: Millenarianism and Sectarianism in the Rockite Movement of
1821-4." Briefly stated, Donnelly's article dealt with the "cult of
Pastorini"--a kind of grassroots Irish Catholic group that was whipped
into an apocalyptic frenzy by the _Prophecies of Signor Pastorini_, a book
written around 1790 by the English Catholic bishop, Charles Walmesley.
Since many Protestants in Ireland (evangelical Anglicans, Prebyterians,
and the early Christian Brethren) were also interested in apocalytic
millennialism, introduced in their circles largely through the writings of
Edward Irving, I am interested in furth er information on the Rockite
Movement and the reaction to _Signor Pastorini_ as part of this larger
wave of millennial interest in Ireland from the late 1790s into the 1820s.
Does anyone on this list have a similar interest, or know if any research
has moved beyond Donnelly's 1983 investigation? I'd deeply appreciate any
leads. The Donnelly article appeared in Samuel Clark and James Donnelly,
eds. _Irish Peasants: Violence & Political Unrest 1780-1914_ (Madison, WS:
The University of Wisconsin Press, 1983), 104-37. Thanks again!
Rob Krapohl
robert_krapohl@baylor.edu
Baylor University