Toleration Act '89

toleration act

• dissenters (prots) = x punished if took oath of allegiance to Crown (x have to attend anglican coe)

  • oath against transubstantiation

  • dissenting ministers = subscribe to 39 Articles (coe doctrines)

• special dispensations (certain groups)

  • Quakers allowed to make declarations (x allowed oaths)

Why was it passed?

• William - provide space for dissenters within church

  • middle ground - good relations w dissenters + anglicans

• parl agreed - Whig maj in favour of it

  • Locke’s ‘A Letter Concerning Toleration’ - having diff religious groups in soc acc prevents unrest

    • minorities x feel need to protest against oppression

continued restrictions

• have to swr allegiance to coe (holy communion) if want to -

  • hold public office (parl)

  • uni

  • legal profession, practice medicine

• meetings monitored, doors unlocked

• dissenters still had to pay tithes/religious taxes to coe

• toleration = conditional

  • x abolished existing laws (clarendon code)

    • only stated they x enforced for those who met certain conditions

• caths, non trinitarians, jews = excluded

  • hide religious beliefs to keep office - Isaac Newton (professor Trinity College)

confessional state remained

• x a bill - william had met resistance ⭢ suggested act as compromise

• senior coe figures able to use influence to bypass act -

  • Richard Frankland Dissenting Academy forced close down

    • clergy nearby wrote to Archbishop Canterbury ⭢ licence withdrawn (‘x required in district’)

• maj ppl remained loyal to coe

• Ireland/Scotland toleration acts x gave dissenters right to participate in govts

  • fear religious radicalism + soc rev

• in William’s interest to gain coe approval

  • limited act’s radicalness

why did in reality caths have little to fear?

• William league of augsberg (no. cath powers) = effectively guaranteed their safety

  • + used royal power to influence judges + curb church interferences in dissenting sects x covered by act

• Henri Misson - ‘despite legal limitations caths appeared to enjoy universal toleration’

• no. whigs said caths = group that gained most from rev

• Bishop of Lichfield = ‘caths more at ease under william than under any prot king since reformation’

confessional state undermined

• freedom of worship for dissenters (as long as doors open)

• by 1714 c8% england pop = dissenters

• William appointed range prots in church

  • latitudinarians, John Tillotson later = archbishop canterbury

• Mary - attended Anglican + Presbyterian churches

  • ensured some bishops appointed reflected her views

• Locke

• fear of William’s Calvinism ⭢ compromise to avoid Calvinism

  • changes = pragmatic (to maintain control) as opposed to being theological

  • predestination implies x do anything to change fate (cld encourage ppl to x pray etc)