Memory Aid

Part of Catholics and Dissenters · Section 12 of 14

Memory AidUnit: Restoration England 1660-1685GCSE

This memory aid covers Memory Aid within Catholics and Dissenters for GCSE History. Revise Catholics and Dissenters in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 12 of 14 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.

🧠 Memory Aid

The five groups and their treatment: "QPBCA — Quakers Punished Badly, Catholics Avoided"

  • Quakers — most Persecuted (15,000 imprisoned)
  • Presbyterians — ejected 1662, fines paid by wealthy
  • Baptists — persecuted, Bunyan the famous example
  • Catholics — usually tolerated, excluded by Test Acts
  • Anglicans — dominant, the Establishment

Key dates to remember: "62-64-70-72-73"

  • 1662 — Act of Uniformity (Great Ejection of 2,000 ministers)
  • 1664 — First Conventicle Act
  • 1670 — Second Conventicle Act (harsher)
  • 1672 — Declaration of Indulgence (withdrawn 1673)
  • 1673 — Test Act (James revealed as Catholic)

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

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.
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.

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