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Religion: conflict and dissent, 1625-1688
Background religious issues
~Key Terms
− Confessional State: a state where a single type of religious practice is enforced
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− Book of Common Prayer: English prayer book, introduced in 1549
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− Baptism: naming and cleansing ceremony for babies most commonly
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− Salvation: saved/cleansed from sin - Catholics⇒ everyone can be saved
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− Anglican: another name for the Church of England – state religion
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− Episcopal: churches with hierarchical structures – bishops and archbishops
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− Puritan: a protestant who wanted a ‘purer’ church
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− Roman Catholic: Catholics who follow the Pope
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− Calvinists: Protestants who believe in predestination
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− England and Scotland had Protestant Churches
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~Why were people afraid of Catholicism in Britain?
− The Spanish Inquisition tortured suspected Protestants for heresy
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− The Gunpowder Plot, in 1605, was where Catholics tried to blow up the King and the Houses of Parliament
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~What were the main features of Catholic Churches?
− They had statues and symbols ⇒ and the congregation were encouraged to pray to them
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− High Alter⇒ at eastern end of Church, used for mass and shut off from the laity
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~What were the main features of Protestant Churches?
− Bible was in English
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− The Ten Commandments and important prayers were pinned up to be seen, read and understood – in English
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− The Communion Table replaced the alter which was situated in the centre of the church, accessible to all
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C of E
was the centre of spiritual life and preaching, a base in every parish (news, education and social control)
− 1688: England was no longer a confessional state as toleration had been granted
− 1558: After Mary reversing reforms due to her protestant hatred, Elizabeth her sister re-established the C of E and
wanted a ‘middle way’ between Catholic and protestant forms of Christianity (James I followed with similar views)
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Church of England 1625-40
− Arminian impacts on the church…
o More sympathy for Roman Catholics
o Decorated churches
o Clergy seen as higher than others shown by clothes
o Power of bishops
o Arguments⇒ discussions prevented by Charles
o Formal prayers and ritualised responses
− Key features of Laudian reforms?
o NOT CATHOLIC

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o Bishops imposed on dioceses (an area of land controlled by a bishop)
o Decoration of churches
o Conformity of clergy
o Role and status of bishops
o Church courts for people opposed to these changes
Why were Laudian reforms resented?
o Attacks were directed as Laudian bishops
o They had political character
o Bishops were arrogant, had pretentious lifestyles and wanted to impose their own views on others
o Bishops were dependent on royal favour for their advancement

Church of England, 1640-60
~Key Terms
− Root and Branch Petition: signed by Londoners against Laudian changed given to Parliament
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g
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Complaints at use of courts by Anglicans
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− Not much change for ordinary people
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Limited success
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− 1645: Parliament resolved that the government of the church should be Presbyterian in for, (meaning= Parliament
decided that the Church should be Presbyterian)
− 1646: Parliament passed the resolutions confirming the collapse of episcopacy and the commitment to a form of
Presbyterian⇒ meaning that the resolution to remove bishops’ power was to be replaced with a Presbyterian
Church
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− 3rd January 1644: Apologetical Narration (presented by Puritans) ⇒ appealed for right to establish independent
churches
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− Influence of army was crucial as it acted as a breeding ground of radical ideas with strong protestant ideals
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g
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− Mistake in 1647- attempt to get rid of independents by breaking the army – this failed
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Many were removed from
parliament due to Pride’s Purge
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~The Rump and the Radicals
− 1650: conservative backlash against the religious radicals
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− After Cromwell’s victories in Scotland and Ireland, the army was scaled down because wars finishes, they’ve already
achieved victory, and it saves money
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− Radicals who remained were disciplined or thrown out by Council of Officials
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But there was also a
need for religious and social discipline
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g
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g
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James Naylor
− He was a player in the Civil Wars, fighting as a foot soldier and later in Lambert’s Cavalry in the New Model Army, but
came to prominence in the years after
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− Authorities became very worried about the following he was attracting and was eventually tried for Blasphemy by
Parliament
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The Restoration Church
− The Convention Parliament of 1660 re-established the Church of England and restored the Bishops in the ‘Worcester
House Declaration’, 1660
− MPs and ministers hoped that their differenced would be resolved, creating a broad and flexible national church
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g
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− A broad settlement did not happen because…
o The ill-conceived and ineffectual rising in London (organised by Thomas Venner) gave new life to the old dear
of religious radicals
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− Gilbert Sheldon, Bishop of London, was able to push for Laudian reforms by…
o Backing of Parliament, Bishops and Lords
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− 1662 Act of Uniformity, imposed formality, rituals, priestly robes and episcopal control – so non-conformists were
restricted from Church appointments; with the ending of 1,800 ministers careers and therefore living
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− The new bishops enforced stricter measures on the ministers…
o If they hadn’t been ordained by a bishop, they were not to accept re-ordination⇒ this emphasises bishop’s
power and status and says that the previous ministry was invalid
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o Acceptance of every element of the prayer book
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o A declaration and defence of the Anglican faith
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The dominance of Anglicanism
− The Cooporation Act of 1661 laid down the requirement of conformity⇒ requiring the taking of Holy Communion for
those holding any position in local government
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− Charles wanted to offer religious toleration (secret Catholic but not wanting to follow Father’s ways in forcing others
to be so too) – but he was defeated by bishops and cavaliers in parliament and was powerless
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− “Tory” policies of Danby after 1673…
This strengthened royal
o To renew persecutions of Protestant dissenters
and Anglican authority
o To exercise royal, social and political patronage (to build up a majority in both Houses of Parliament)
− After 1682: Charles embarked on the harshest period of persecution in the entire reign for Protestant dissenters, and
remodelled borough charters to ensure Tory and Anglican control
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The Trial of the Seven Bishops, 1688⇒ they opposed James II’s Second Declaration of Indulgence as it offered
toleration to non-conformists and Catholics – yet they were strong Anglicans and were found not guilty (highlighting
Anglican supremacy)
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− Catholics were named ‘Papists’
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− Constant fears of a Catholic takeover – fuelled by ‘Bloody Mary’ (1553-58), 1588 Spanish Armada, 1605 Gunpowder
Plot
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− Duke of Norfolk and his family are important Catholics
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− The Queen is seen as a powerful influence on her husband, Charles I, and their children
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− Henrietta-Maria brought Catholicism to Britain by bringing Catholic clergy to serve her in court
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− Foreign Catholic settlers became more bold with the arrival of Maria
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− Charles failed to restrict Henrietta-Maria
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− Charles promoted Arminians in Church and Courts and gave bishops major power
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− By the mid 1630s, many of those closest to the King were Catholic or had Catholic wives
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− Charles was not knowingly attempting to enforce Catholicism or autocracy, he was purely an idiot
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− This all generated widespread fear of Catholicism, and that they may attempt to takeover
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− The 1640s had been the key decade in the development of tolerationist ideas and these were grounded in radical
Puritanism
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− Catholics were also required to pay the assessment tax at twice the normal rate
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− Many Catholics, after the civil war, had their estates confiscated, and some were forced to conform
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− Most calls for sustained Catholic persecution cited the use of statues and reverence of saints as the main reasoning
for their actions
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− A disturbed group of Catholics met Cromwell privately to plead for restraint
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− 1655: a report sent to Cromwell stated that 992 people refused to take the Oath of Abjuration in Lancashire
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− In the years between the first civil war and the fall of Clarendon in 1667, neither Catholics nor hostility towards them
disappeared, but if they remained discreet they were able to worship privately
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With the restoration of Charles II, the Catholics gained a measure of safety
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However Ireland was being governed, by a governor, and the Church of Ireland was restored, leading to the
persecution of both Catholics and dissenters with variable consistency
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− 1666: The Great Fire of London emerged rumours of Catholic agents at work⇒ this was a disaster following Dutch
War (destruction of the fleet) created a range of reactions…
o House of Commons blamed and impeached Clarendon (Charles’ chief advisor)
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− 1667: Louis XIV invaded the Spanish Netherlands and launched an attack on Dutch because of the increased
awareness in England that Catholic France was a greater threat
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− Charles committed to French alliance…Charles promised to announce his conversion to Catholicism as soon as it
was safe and appropriate
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⇒King and his brother
were shown as Catholic sympathisers
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− Fear of Catholicism and absolutism increased greatly
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− Danby used royal patronage and French subsidies to build up a control of Parliament
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− Whigs⇒ appealed to Protestants
− Tories⇒ stood for the Church and King (and slight association with Catholic absolutism)
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− Charles outmanoeuvred them…
o With skill and patience with French subsidies allowing him to dissolve Parliament
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o Used Protestant extremism in 1640s and 50s to make the Whigs seem as rebels and regicides
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− Second Stuart Absolutism kept by…
o Quietening of anti-Catholic fears by focusing on non-conformist threat
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~James II and anti-Catholicism sentiment, 1685-88
− James wanted equality as citizens for his fellow Catholics
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− It is ambiguous whether he wanted to extend royal power for its own sake, as is whether he was genuine in
opposing persecutions of other faiths
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− 1686: James forbid the preaching of anti-Catholic sermons, and set up the court of Ecclesiastical Commission, to
oversee enforcement
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− James also set up a licensing office to sell permits to dissenters, exempting them from the laws of the Clarendon
code
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− The birth of a son to James and Mary led 7 leading political figures to write an appeal to William of Orange to invade
England and stop any further action by the King
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Bastwick wrote anti-Arminian texts
→ Leading members of the opposition in the Long Parliament were Puritan, this is because they would
have opposed Charles regardless of his policies, and simply because they were Puritan and
therefore natural opponents of Laud and Charles
w John Pym had kept track of Charles’ mismanagement of government between
1629 and 1640
w John Hampden disagreed with Ship Money

Presbyterians And Religious Radicalism
− By 1616, Henry Jacob established a Congregational Church in London, by 1640 this had multiplied into 8 churches,
part of this was due to opposition of Laudian reforms
− The Civil War in 1642, caused a growth in separatists allowing preachers to become more active and their groups to
attract new members
− Freedom of the press enables new ideas to be propagated and public debate to increase, this stimulated radical
thinking
− By 1647, the arguments for religious freedom were already well published and available to those who were interested
through both the press and the pulpit
− By September 1658, when Cromwell died, his efforts had mixed results
o Most of the dangerous sects had disappeared but the Quakers posed a threat (and had become a
refuge for earlier radicals)
− The freedom given to independants (known also as Congregationalists) and the different orders of Baptists allowed
them to be organised in setting up Confessions of Faith to apply to all of their members
− The Presbyterians had also gained from the chance to work in the Church and set up voluntary organisations such
as regional associations of ministers
− Focus of the reaction to the Nayler case was against sects and for a number of reasons their significance was
exaggerated by contemporaries and historians
− The core of separatism before 1660 lay in the groups of the Congregationalists, the Baptists and the Quakers
− It is impossible to give an exact number but the total was dwarfed by Presbyterians, whose aim remained reform
within the National Church
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However, the
Clarendon Code was different for a number of reasons:
→ Its scale and the numbers affected
→ The bitterness and desire for revenge with which it was enforced in many places
→ It was directed primarily at those who wanted to remain within the Church and had
no desire to establish separate congregations
o Four Acts made up the Clarendon Code:
→ The Corporation Act (1661): Intended to make it impossible for non-conformists to
hold municipal offices
→ Act of Uniformity (1662): Excluded them from Church offices
→ Conventicle Act of 1664: As soon as it became apparent that meetings of some
kind would still occur, this Act was passed
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− Nut in 1670, Charles II was forced to withdraw his Indulgence, but this was too late to stop the spread of the nonconformist movement
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− 1678-1683: Non-conformists allied with Whigs
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− 1683-86: Renewed persecution
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