In 1705 multiple Manhattan residents signed a declaration denouncing Catholicism, declaring the traditions in the Church of Rome “…superstitious and idolatrous.” Many British Protestant colonists opposed the Catholic Church and the Church of England. Common Council records, NYC Municipal Archives.
Transcription Note: The text below was transcribed using Handwriting OCR software and edited by staff from the NYC Department of Records & Information Services. Corrections and clarifications have been added in brackets.
Transcribed Text: City of New York A: B do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God prophofs [profess] & declare that I do believe in the sacrament of the lords supper there is not any transubstantiation of the elements of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ at or after the Consecration thereof by any person whatsoever and that the invocation or adoration of the virgin Mary or any other saint and the sacrifice of the mass as they are now used in the Church of Rome aro [are] superstitious and idolatrous And doo solomnly [solemnly] in the Presence of God profess Testifie [testify] and declare that I doo make the declaration and every part thereof in the plain and ordinary sounds of the words read unto me as they are commonly understood by English Protestants without any Evasion Equivocation or mental Reservation whatsoever and without any dispensation already granted me for this purpose by the Pope or any other Authority or person whatsoever or without any hope of any such dispensation from any person or authority whatsoever or without thinking that I am or can be acquitted before God or man or absolved of this declaration or any part thereof altho’ tho the Pope or any other person or persons or power whatsoever should dispose with or annul the same or declare that it was null and void from the beginning. [Includes various signatures arranged in three columns] Aldermen and assistants of New York October 14th, 1705