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Restoration England 1660-1685Key Facts

Experience of Persecution

Part of Catholics and Dissenters — GCSE History

This key facts covers Experience of Persecution within Catholics and Dissenters for GCSE History. Revise Catholics and Dissenters in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 3 of 14 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 3 of 14

Practice

8 questions

Recall

4 flashcards

📌 Experience of Persecution

Quakers: Most persecuted group. 15,000 imprisoned during Charles's reign. Refused oaths, didn't doff hats, disrupted church services. George Fox founded movement 1650s.
Presbyterians: 2,000 ministers ejected 1662. Held secret meetings (conventicles). Often wealthy enough to pay fines. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress in prison.
Catholics: Usually left alone until crises (Popish Plot). Fines for not attending Anglican church (recusancy) rarely collected. But excluded from office by Test Acts.

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Catholics and Dissenters. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Religious Groups ComparedKey Points About Religious PersecutionSetting the SceneJohn Bunyan: A Case Study

Practice Questions for Catholics and Dissenters

Approximately how many Quakers were imprisoned during the reign of Charles II?

  • A. Around 1,500
  • B. Around 5,000
  • C. Around 15,000
  • D. Around 50,000
1 markfoundation

How many Nonconformist ministers were ejected from their parishes following the Act of Uniformity in 1662?

  • A. Around 200
  • B. Around 2,000
  • C. Around 10,000
  • D. Around 20,000
1 markfoundation

Quick Recall Flashcards

What was recusancy?
Refusing to attend Church of England services — technically illegal under Elizabethan recusancy laws still in force. Catholics could be fined £20 per month for recusancy. In practice, enforcement was uneven — wealthy Catholic gentry often paid fines or used influence to avoid prosecution, while poorer Catholics suffered more severely.
Who was John Bunyan?
Baptist preacher imprisoned for illegal preaching 1660-72 (with a brief release 1666-68). While in Bedford Gaol he wrote Pilgrim's Progress (1678) — the most widely read book in England after the Bible. His imprisonment shows how the Clarendon Code harmed even respected preachers.

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Religious Groups Compared

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Key Points About Religious Persecution