Act of Uniformity 1552 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Acte for the Unyformytie of Comon Prayer and admynistracion of the Sacramentes. |
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| Citation | 5 & 6 Edw. 6. c. 1 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969 |
| Relates to | |
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Status: Repealed
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The Act of Uniformity 1551 was an important law made by the Parliament of England. It is sometimes called the Act of Uniformity 1552. This law was created during the reign of Edward VI of England, who was a young king.
The Act was a big step in making England a more Protestant country. It replaced an earlier law from 1549. This new Act changed the official prayer book used in churches. The old book, the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, was replaced by a new one, the 1552 Book of Common Prayer. The new book was much clearer about Protestant beliefs.
If someone did not use this new prayer book for church services, they could face serious trouble. A first offence meant six months in prison. A second offence led to one year in prison. A third offence meant life in prison. However, this Act was later cancelled by Queen Mary I in 1553.
Changes to Church Services
The changes made by King Edward VI aimed to combine Protestant ideas with traditional church structures. People at the time believed this was how the early Christian church worked before it was changed by Roman Catholic traditions.
One big change was about a belief called Transubstantiation. This idea, that bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ during communion, was removed. The new prayer book no longer included actions like lifting up the bread during the service.
Later, a preacher named John Knox questioned why people had to kneel to receive communion. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who wrote the prayer books, convinced the king's advisors to keep the kneeling. They added a special note, known as the "Black Rubric", to explain why kneeling was still allowed. This note said that kneeling did not mean people were worshipping the bread and wine.
After Elizabeth I became queen, the special rules for ordaining priests (the 1552 ordinal) were thought to be part of the 1559 Act of Uniformity. But Elizabeth's advisor, William Cecil, pointed out that the 1559 Act did not mention these rules. This meant that the way priests were being ordained was not officially legal.
Queens Mary and Elizabeth
After King Edward VI died, his half-sister Mary I became queen. She was a Catholic and wanted to bring England back under the control of the Catholic Church. She cancelled all of Edward's religious laws. She also put many leading Protestant church leaders in prison.
Later, Mary's husband, Philip II of Spain, convinced Parliament to cancel all of King Henry VIII's religious laws too. This fully returned England to the control of the Pope in Rome.
When Queen Mary I died in 1558, her half-sister Elizabeth became queen. Elizabeth wanted to make the Church of England Protestant again. Many Catholic church leaders tried to stop her. But Elizabeth was lucky because many important church positions were empty. This meant that the remaining Catholic leaders could not outvote the members of Parliament who supported Elizabeth's reforms.
In 1559, a new Act of Uniformity was passed. This new Act brought back the 1552 Book of Common Prayer. However, it made a few small changes, like removing the "Black Rubric" note about kneeling. The laws that punished people for not being Catholic were also cancelled. This made the punishments for breaking the new Act of Uniformity less harsh.
For more details on the history of these laws, you can read about the Act of Uniformity 1549.
When the Act Ended
Over time, parts of the Act of Uniformity 1551 were removed or changed.
For example, in 1846, a law called the Religious Disabilities Act removed some parts of the 1551 Act. These changes meant that people who did not agree with the official Church of England were no longer forced to go to its services every Sunday. They also would not be imprisoned for attending other types of worship.
Later, in 1950, the Act was fully cancelled for Northern Ireland. Finally, in 1969, the rest of the Act was completely cancelled by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969. This meant the Act of Uniformity 1551 was no longer a law in England.
See also
- Act of Uniformity
