This key facts covers Key Evidence: The Clarendon Code within Religious Settlement for GCSE History. Revise Religious Settlement in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 3 of 15 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📌 Key Evidence: The Clarendon Code
| Act | Date | What It Did |
|---|---|---|
| Corporation Act | 1661 | Town officials must take Anglican communion. Kept Dissenters out of local government. |
| Act of Uniformity | 1662 | All clergy must use Book of Common Prayer. About 2,000 ministers ejected ("Great Ejection"). |
| Conventicle Act | 1664 | Banned religious meetings of 5+ people outside Church of England. Fines and imprisonment. |
| Five Mile Act | 1665 | Ejected ministers couldn't go within 5 miles of towns. Prevented them preaching to their old congregations. |
Practice questions for Religious Settlement
Approximately how many ministers were ejected from the Church of England by the Act of Uniformity 1662?
What did the Conventicle Act 1664 ban?
Quick recall flashcards
Who was John Bunyan?
Baptist preacher imprisoned 1660-72 for illegal preaching under the Clarendon Code. Wrote Pilgrim's Progress in prison — one of the most widely read books in English history. Symbol of Dissenting perseverance.
What was the Clarendon Code?
Four Acts (1661-65) persecuting Protestant Dissenters — Corporation Act (1661), Act of Uniformity (1662), Conventicle Act (1664), Five Mile Act (1665). Parliament's initiative, not Charles's — he actually tried twice to suspend it.