Popish soap

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During the personal rule of the English King Charles I (1629-1640), one of the ways in which he attempted to raise money was through the granting of patents. This came about as a result of a loop hole in the Monopolies Act.

One such patent was granted to a soap corporation; unfortunately, their soap so injured both linen fabrics and the washerwomen's hands that they called it Popish soap, believing that its injuries were symbolic and scarred the soul as well as skin and fabric. The soap industry was overseen by Lord Treasurer Portland and his friends, all of whom displayed Catholic character. When Portland died, Laud and Cottington contended over the company, which increased annual profits to the crown to nearly 30,000 pounds by the end of the 1630s.