Act of Uniformity

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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The most famous of several acts of Uniformity (1549, 1552, 1559) by which the English government required the use of the Book of Common Prayer in religious services throughout the land. During the Civil War and Commonwealth the episcopacy had been abolished and the Book of Common Prayer banned. The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to the 1662 Act which sought to restore the dominance of the Church of England. It restored the episcopacy and required the use of the latest version of the Book of Common Prayer – with its offensive prefatory remarks about “men of factious, peevish and perverse spirits” – thus leading to the ejection of as many as one thousand vicars who refused to conform.

114 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Act of Uniformity". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1456, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1456 Act of Uniformity 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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