Hugh Stowell

Who was Hugh Stowell?

Hugh Stowell was a Church of England clergyman with a reputation as a "vigorous and inspiring preacher". He was an implacable opponent of Catholic emancipation whose supporters built Christ Church in Salford for him, where he remained from its consecration in 1831 until his death.

Stowell gained "national notoriety" as a consequence of a libel case brought against him in 1840 by Daniel Hearne, a Catholic priest. Stowell alleged that Hearne had forced one his parishioners, John O'Hara, to crawl on his hands and knees through a Manchester street as a penance. O'Hara was known to be insane and was not called as a witness, Stowell's defence claiming that whatever a clergyman said in the performance of his duties was not libellous so long as the clergyman believed it to be true. Stowell was found guilty and ordered to pay damages of 40 shillings, a decision that was reversed on appeal.