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Part I of a major edit to this page. Information concerning church records to be moved to England Church Records page. Information on religious history to be grouped by religion with a chronological summary. See Netherlands Church History page.
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(Part I of a major edit to this page. Information concerning church records to be moved to England Church Records page. Information on religious history to be grouped by religion with a chronological summary. See Netherlands Church History page.) |
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Individual church units, called parishes, were also used as civil parishes to help the government control poor relief, military conscription, some law enforcement, and taxation.<ref>John Southerden Burn, ''Registrum Ecclesiae Parochialis. The History of the Parish Registers of England, Also of the Registers of Scotland, Ireland, the East and West Indies, the Dissenters, and the Episcopal Chapters in and about London.'' 2nd ed. London: John Russell Smith, 1842. Digital version at [http://books.google.com/books?id=rpI9AAAAcAAJ Google Books].</ref> Parishes were grouped together in [[Rural Deanery (England)|rural deaneries]] which in turn were part of a [[Diocese (England)|diocese]]. | Individual church units, called parishes, were also used as civil parishes to help the government control poor relief, military conscription, some law enforcement, and taxation.<ref>John Southerden Burn, ''Registrum Ecclesiae Parochialis. The History of the Parish Registers of England, Also of the Registers of Scotland, Ireland, the East and West Indies, the Dissenters, and the Episcopal Chapters in and about London.'' 2nd ed. London: John Russell Smith, 1842. Digital version at [http://books.google.com/books?id=rpI9AAAAcAAJ Google Books].</ref> Parishes were grouped together in [[Rural Deanery (England)|rural deaneries]] which in turn were part of a [[Diocese (England)|diocese]]. | ||
== Anglicans == | |||
The Church of England was created in 1534 by Henry VIII, in the midst of the Protestant Reformation, but with a primary motivation being to be able to annul his marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon. The advisers of his son Edward VI (1547-1553) introduced changes that made the Church Calvinist, but this was reversed by Henry's Catholic daughter Mary who reigned 1553-1558. Her sister and successor Elizabeth I recreated a separate Church of England, but with moderate Protestant theology and doctrines that sought a middle path between Catholicism and Protestantism. | |||
The Anglican church continues to be the state church, and with all other religions being persecuted until the early 19th century, became the majority religion. | |||
== Catholics == | |||
Catholics, the only legal religion until 1534, suffered severe persecution over the next three centuries. Despite this, they survived in low numbers, especially in the north of England. In 1829 all persecution against Catholics ended. | |||
== Non-Conformists == | |||
Many groups have split off from the Anglican church. These include Society of Friends (Quakers), Congregationalists, Baptists and Methodists. Traditionally, any Protestant religion in England that is not Anglican is referred to as ''non-conformist''. | |||
== Timeline == | |||
The following major events affected church history and the records. [[England History]] mentions other specific events. | The following major events affected church history and the records. [[England History]] mentions other specific events. | ||