Richard Raby - Pope Adrian IV; An Historical Sketch

Pope Adrian IV (c. 1100-1159, pope 1154-1159) was the only English pope. Written by a Catholic in 1849, this biography of the pope appeared twenty years after the English Parliament passed “The Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829.” “The following sketch was written to supply what its author felt persuaded could not fail to interest his fellow Catholics in England; namely, some account of the only English Pope who ever reigned. In it he does not pretend to any novelty of research; but simply to present a connected narrative of such events in the history of Pope Adrian IV. as have hitherto lain broken and concealed in old chronicles, or been slightly touched for the most part in an incidental way by modern writers.” — Summary by Author's Preface and David Wales