London underground church facts for kids
The London underground church was a secret group of Puritans in London. They met in hiding during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. These Puritans wanted to change the Church of England to make it simpler. They believed the Church of England still had too many old traditions from the Catholic Church.
This group started as part of the Church of England but later broke away. They became known as Separatists. William Bradford, who later became the Governor of Plymouth Colony in America, said this underground church was the first to truly follow the beliefs of the Pilgrim Fathers.
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Secret Meetings Under Queen Mary
Before the Elizabethan underground church, there was a similar secret Protestant church in London during the time of Queen Mary I. Queen Mary made the Catholic Church in England and Wales the official religion again. She also persecuted Protestants.
This secret church started with about 20 people and grew to 200. They met in hidden places like inns and private homes. Some of their leaders, like John Rough, were later executed for their beliefs.
The Elizabethan Underground Church
When Elizabeth I of England became Queen in 1558, the secret Protestant church stopped meeting. Queen Elizabeth made the Church of England the official religion again. However, Queen Elizabeth wanted some old traditions to stay in the Church of England. She also ordered priests to wear special robes called vestments.
This upset many Puritans. They wanted to "purify" the Church of England and remove all old traditions. In 1566, many London priests were suspended for not following the rules. Some of the most radical priests began leading secret church services again. They remembered how people met in secret during Queen Mary's time.
Discovering Secret Meetings
On June 16, 1567, about a hundred people were found worshipping in a place called Plumbers’ Hall. Seventeen people were arrested. Some were questioned by the Bishop of London, Edmund Grindal. Other arrests happened in private homes. Bishop Grindal said they also met in fields and sometimes even on ships.
Leaders of this movement included Richard Fitz and John Browne. A historian named Stephen Tomkins believes this underground church started as one large group. He thinks it later split into smaller groups. He also suggests that at its peak, it had about a thousand members. That was about one percent of London's population at the time.
In 1568, some leaders tried to move their church to Scotland. They hoped to practice their religion freely there. But John Knox, a Scottish religious leader, told them he could not support them leaving the Church of England. So, they decided not to go.
By the end of the 1560s, the movement had split into different groups. This, along with the danger of being caught, made the group much smaller. However, the "Fitz church" continued to exist into the 1580s.
Revival Under Henry Barrow
Around 1586, two Puritans named Henry Barrow and John Greenwood joined the Separatist movement. This movement was also called Brownism, named after Robert Browne. Barrow and Greenwood helped to revive the London underground church.
How They Worshipped
The church met in fields during the summer and in houses during the winter. They often started worshipping at 5 AM and sometimes continued all day. They did not use written prayers. They believed any member could preach. A visitor once said that during their prayers, "one speaketh and the rest do groan or sob or sigh."
Barrow and Greenwood taught that a true church should be made of people who freely choose to join. They believed the Church of England was not a true church because it forced everyone to be a member. They published their ideas in many books. These books were printed secretly in the Netherlands and then smuggled into England.
Arrests and Persecution
On October 8, 1587, a church service in a house was raided. Twenty-one people were arrested, including Greenwood. Barrow visited Greenwood in prison and was also arrested. They were fined a large amount of money and moved to the Fleet prison.
The Archbishop's men began raiding individual homes, not just meeting places. People were arrested for simply having writings by Barrow. John Purdye was arrested and tortured. Seven members of the church died in prison within 19 months.
On March 13, 1589, church members sent a petition directly to the Queen. They complained about being arrested and held in "unwholesome and vile prisons" without trial. They asked to speak with the Queen's advisors. Barrow was interviewed by the advisors. He even called the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift, "a monster."
By February 1590, 52 members of the underground church were held in six London prisons. Ten had died in jail. The Bishop of London tried to get them to return to the Church of England. He sent 42 ministers and academics to debate with them. But the Separatists were so good at arguing their points that they published the discussions. The bishop then stopped the debates.
In 1590-1591, the church secretly printed 2,000 copies of Barrow's main book. But the books were seized, and the person carrying them was arrested. The minister of an English church in the Netherlands, Francis Johnson, was told to burn the books. But he kept one copy for himself. Reading it changed his mind, and he joined the London church. He later became its minister.
New Leaders and More Arrests
In July 1592, some members, including Greenwood, were released from prison. The church chose Greenwood as their teacher and Johnson as their pastor. They also chose other leaders. But Greenwood and Johnson were arrested again in December.
In February, Roger Rippon died in Newgate jail. Church members carried his coffin to the home of a judge. They left it there with a message saying his "blood crieth for speedy vengeance." Fifty-six people were arrested because of this.
The church gained a famous new member in October 1592: John Penry. He was known as "the most wanted puritan in England." He had written some famous protest pamphlets. Penry sent a petition to Parliament about their treatment. The three women who delivered the document were arrested.
In March 1593, five Brownists, including Barrow and Greenwood, were tried and sentenced to death. The two leaders were hanged on April 6. The other three were released.
Under Francis Johnson
In 1593, a new law made the Brownist church illegal. It said its members had to leave England or face death. Many members of the London church moved to Amsterdam. Some were even released from prison so they could leave. Others stayed hidden in London. Both groups were now led by Francis Johnson, even though he was still in Clink prison.
In 1597, Johnson and three others were released to explore starting a Brownist colony in Newfoundland. The government even approved this. But the trip failed, and the four joined the Amsterdam church. This church grew to a few hundred members. They continued to print books against the Church of England and smuggle them back into England.
The remaining members in London tried to appoint their own minister. But Francis Johnson, who was in Amsterdam, stopped them. He worried that people would not want to come to Amsterdam if there was a minister in London. Other Separatist groups also appeared in London.
By 1631, there were about "eleven several congregations" of Separatists in London. Ten years later, a bishop counted eighty such groups in the London area. Many of their leaders were ordinary people like "cobblers, tailors, felt-makers."