[AnAmericanMother]

There's a strong strain of anti-Catholicism in Britain. The aforesaid Charles Kingsley (whom Newman beat up so badly) was a good example. Brilliant scholar, excellent author of children's books - The Water Babies, Westward Ho! - loving husband and father, good pastor. But he had an absolute screw loose about Catholics. And he had a lot of company.

My personal opinion is that it mostly stemmed from politics, not religion. You had the power struggles during and after the English Reformation, the wars with Spain, then the Irish problem, by the time all that was over a good Englishman reflexively hated Catholics.

[Radl]

I think you should call it Irish genocide. Maybe they have a guilt problem.