Puritans

Oliver Cromwell was a committed Puritan, and as head of state he instituted many Puritan reforms. Puritanism had begun under Henry VIII but came to prominence in the 17th century. It was a religious reform movement that wanted to 'purify' the Church of England, which they felt retained too much from Catholicism. Their sense of moral conviction informed their whole way of life, and they wanted their lifestyle to transform the nation. Religious unity was considered essential to the welfare of society, and an interest in theological controversy and religious topics was common in all classes of society.

The church was an auditorium where the pulpit and sermons took on a political as well as religious significance, reaching an even wider audience by being published.

Similar to Catholicism, Anglicanism stressed the external manifestations of faith like the beauty of the churches and their altars.

It also supported a traditional hierarchy within the Church, in particular the bishops. The Puritans, however, criticised these ecclesiastical rituals and outlook. They rejected scholarly interpretations of the Scriptures and claimed the right of the individual to comprehend God's will from reading the Bible. They argued that priests should be free to choose how to dress, and that the clergy should be distinguished by their behaviour and not by special clothing.

The movement, which was particularly strong in London and the south-west, had followers among the clergy and the nobles, but especially among merchants and professional classes and the Members of Parliament. They believed in the Calvinist theory of predestination, which says that everything that happens has been decided or planned in advance by God or by fate and that humans cannot change it.

According to this doctrine, all men are born sinners and therefore condemned to damnation. Only God's grace can save man. This means that man is required not only to perform good individual acts but to live a holy life of hard work and discipline. Poverty was almost considered a sin and leisure was thought to be a waste of time that could corrupt men's minds.