Act of Uniformity 1548 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Acte for the unyformytie of Service and Admynistracion of the Sacramentes throughout the Realme. |
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| Citation | 2 & 3 Edw. 6. c. 1 |
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Status: Repealed
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The Act of Uniformity 1548 (also known as the Act of Uniformity 1549 or the Uniformity Act 1548) was an important law passed by the Parliament of England on January 21, 1549.
This Act was a big step in the English Reformation, a time when England was changing its official religion from Catholicism to Protestantism. Before this Act, churches in England used many different Latin prayer books. This new law made the 1549 version of the Book of Common Prayer the only legal way to worship in England. This helped to make religious practices the same (uniform) across the country.
Contents
What Was the Book of Common Prayer?
The Book of Common Prayer wasn't just a simple translation of old Latin church books into English. It was mostly a new book, created by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. It included new ideas and ways of doing church services.
The Act itself was called An Act for Uniformity of Service and Administration of the Sacraments throughout the Realm. It said that all church leaders in England, Wales, Calais (a town in France that belonged to England then), and other English lands, had to use this new book for all their public prayers and services. This included daily prayers, the Lord's Supper (Mass), and other important ceremonies. They had to start using it by the Christian holiday of Pentecost in 1549.
This gave everyone about a year to get used to the new rules. The goal was to unite the country under one common way of practicing faith.
Punishments for Not Following the Act
The Act also included rules for what would happen if church leaders didn't follow the new law. The government wanted to make sure that no one would try to cause trouble or go against this new, "godly" order.
If a church leader refused to use the Book of Common Prayer, or used any other way of worship, or spoke against the new book, they would face punishments:
- First Offence: They would lose all their income from their church job for one whole year. This money would go to the King. They would also be put in prison for six months. They couldn't pay money to get out of prison early.
- Second Offence: If someone broke the law a second time, they would go to prison for a whole year. They would also lose their church job and any chance of getting promotions. Their job would be given to someone else, as if they had died.
- Third Offence: If someone broke the law a third time, they would be put in prison for the rest of their life.
The Act didn't force people to go to church, but it made sure that any public worship had to follow the new rules. The Act of Uniformity 1549 was the first law of its kind. It aimed to make religious worship consistent across England and its lands. At this time, different Christian groups were causing arguments and even riots, like the Prayer Book Rebellion. The Book of Common Prayer offered a middle ground for Christian faith in England. The Act of Uniformity 1549 made sure everyone followed this middle ground to help end their differences.
How the Act Was Prepared
The Act of Uniformity 1549 was put together by a group led by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. When this new law was discussed in the House of Lords (a part of Parliament) in January 1549, it caused a lot of debate. Out of eighteen bishops who voted, ten voted for the Act and eight voted against it.
Many people were unhappy with this Act and the new prayer book. This led to riots in some parts of the country, and a large uprising in Cornwall and the South West of England. Some people who were strong Catholics didn't like it, and some very strict Protestant reformers, like John Hooper, also disagreed with it.
King Edward VI's Act also stated that anyone who had broken these rules before the Act was passed would be forgiven. This meant that the law only applied from the time it was passed forward. It wasn't a law that punished people for things they did before the law existed. However, people who were already in prison for related offenses, like in the Tower of London, would stay there.
Later History of the Act
The Act of Uniformity 1548 was later changed by other laws. For example, the Act of Uniformity 1552 brought in a more Protestant version of the prayer book of 1552. It also added punishments for missing Sunday church services without a good reason.
When Queen Mary I became queen, she was Catholic and cancelled this Act. But when Queen Elizabeth I became queen, she brought back a changed version of the law with the Act of Uniformity 1559.
Later, when King Charles II returned to the throne, the Act of Uniformity 1662 continued many of the ideas from the 1549 Act, but in a different time. This later Act was confirmed again in 1706 before England and Scotland joined under one parliament.
Over time, most of the 1662 Act was removed in the 1800s and 1900s. This was part of a bigger effort to end religious discrimination (treating people unfairly because of their religion).
Repeal
The Act of Uniformity 1548 has been mostly cancelled (repealed) over many years by different laws. This means it is no longer in effect today.
See also
- Act of Uniformity
- Putting away of Books and Images Act 1549
