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Restoration England 1660-1685Deep Dive

Religious Groups in Restoration England

Part of Religious Settlement — GCSE History

This deep dive covers Religious Groups in Restoration England within Religious Settlement for GCSE History. Revise Religious Settlement in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 4 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 4 of 15

Practice

8 questions

Recall

4 flashcards

🧠 Religious Groups in Restoration England

Anglicans: Official Church of England. Bishops, Book of Common Prayer, ceremonies. Dominant in Parliament and society. Wanted monopoly on religion.
Dissenters/Nonconformists: Protestants who wouldn't conform — Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Congregationalists. Perhaps 5% of population. Persecuted by Clarendon Code.
Catholics: About 1-2% of population. Technically illegal (couldn't hold office, attend Mass). Usually left alone until Popish Plot (1678). James, Duke of York was Catholic — the central political problem.
Charles's position: Secretly sympathetic to Catholics (mother was Catholic; converted on deathbed). Tried twice to issue toleration (1662, 1672) but Parliament blocked both attempts.

Keep building this topic

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

Key Evidence: The Clarendon CodeCharles's Attempts at ToleranceReligious Groups in Restoration EnglandSetting the Scene

Practice Questions for Religious Settlement

Approximately how many ministers were ejected from the Church of England by the Act of Uniformity 1662?

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

What did the Conventicle Act 1664 ban?

  • A. Catholics from holding any public office in England
  • B. Ejected ministers from living within 5 miles of a town
  • C. Religious meetings of five or more people outside the Church of England
  • D. Town officials from taking the sacrament in any but Anglican churches
1 markfoundation

Quick Recall Flashcards

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.
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.

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Key Evidence: The Clarendon Code

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Charles's Attempts at Tolerance