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Extracts from The Uniformity Act 1559 (I Eliz.
Cap.II )
The following two sections of the Act refer to the
requirements made of ministers and the penalties for non
compliance. In verbose language ( what we today would call
`legalese`) the Act is very rigid and demanding with no
variations whatsoever allowed. Even criticism of the
Church and the Book of Common Prayer was punishable.
II.
And further be it enacted by the Queen’s Highness,
with the assent of the Lords and Commons in this present
Parliament assembled and by authority of the same, That
all and singular ministers in any cathedral or parish
church or other place within this realm of England, Wales
and the marches of the same or other the Queen’s dominions
shall from and after the Feast of the Nativity of St John
Baptist next coming be bounden to say and use the Matins,
Evensong, celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and
administration of each of the Sacraments, and, all their
Common and open Prayer, in such order and form as is
mentioned in the said book so authorized by Parliament in
the said fifth and sixth years of the reign of King Edward
the Sixth, with one alteration or addition of certain
Lessons to be used on every Sunday in the year, and the
form of the Litany altered and corrected, and two
sentences only added in the delivery of the Sacrament to
the communicants, and none other or otherwise; and that if
any manner of parson. vicar or other whatsoever minister,
that ought or should sing or say Common Prayer mentioned
in the said book or minister the Sacraments from and after
the Feast of the Nativity of St John Baptist next coming,
refuse to use the said Common Prayers or to minister the
Sacraments in such cathedral or parish church or other
places as he should use to minister the same, in such
order and form as they be mentioned and set forth in the
said book, or shall wilfully or obstinately (standing in
the same) use any other rite, ceremony, order, form
or manner of celebrating of the Lord’s Supper, openly or
privily, or Matins, Evensong, administration of the
Sacraments or other open prayers than is mentioned and set
forth in the said book, ([by] open prayer in and
throughout this Act is meant that prayer which is for
other to come unto or hear, either in common churches or
private chapels or oratories, commonly called the Service
of the Church,) or shall preach, declare or speak any
thing in the derogation or depraving of the said book or
any thing therein contained or of any part thereof, and
shall be thereof lawfully convicted according to the laws
of this realm by verdict of twelve men or by his own
confession or by the notorious evidence of the fact, shall
lose and forfeit to the Queen’s Highness, her heirs and
successors, for his first offence, the profit of all his
spiritual benefices or promotions coming or arising in one
whole year next after his conviction, and also that the
person so convicted shall for the same offence suffer
imprisonment by the space of six months without bail or
mainprise; and if any such person once convict of any
offence concerning the premises shall after the fist
conviction eftsoons offend and be thereof in form
aforesaid lawfully convicted, that then the same person
shall be his second offence suffer imprisonment by the
space of one whole year and also shall therefore be
deprived, ipso facto, of all his spiritual promotions, and
that it shall be lawful to all patrons or donors of all
and singular the same spiritual promotions or any of them
to present or collate to the same as though the persons so
offending were dead; and that if any such person or
persons after he shall be twice convicted in form
aforesaid shall offend against any of the premises the
third time and shall be thereof in form aforesaid lawfully
convicted, that then the person so offending and
convicted the third time shall be deprived, ipso facto,
of all his spiritual promotions and also shall suffer
imprisonment during his life; and if the person that shall
offend and be convicted in form aforesaid, concerning any
of the premises, shall not be beneficed nor have any
spiritual promotion, that then the same person so
offending and convict shall for the first offence suffer
imprisonment during one whole year next alter his said
conviction without bail or mainprise; and if any such
person not having any spiritual promotion, after his first
conviction, shall eftsoons offend in any thing concerning
the premises and shall be in form aforesaid thereof
lawfully convicted, that then the same person shall for
his second offence suffer imprisonment during his life.
III. And it is ordained and enacted by the authority
above said, That if any person or persons whatsoever after
the said Feast of the Nativity of St John Baptist next
coming shall in any interludes, plays, songs, rhymes, or
by other open words, declare or speak any thing in the
derogation, depraving or despising of the same book or of
any thing therein contained or any part thereof, or shall
by open fact, deed, or by open threatenings compel or
cause or otherwise procure or maintain any parson, vicar
or other minister in
any cathedral or parish church or in chapel or in any
other place, to sing or say any common or open prayer, or
to minister any Sacrament, otherwise or in any other
manner and form than is mentioned in
the said book, or that by any of the said means shall
unlawfully interrupt or let any parson, vicar or other
minister in
any cathedral or parish church, chapel or any other place
to sing or say common and open prayer or to minister the
Sacraments or any of them in such manner and form as is
mentioned in the said book, that then every such person
being thereof lawfully convicted in form above said shall
forfeit to the Queen our Sovereign Lady, her heirs and
successors, for the first offence a hundred marks and if
any person or persons being once convict of any such
offence eftsoons offend against [sic] any of the last
recited offences and shall in form aforesaid be thereof
lawfully convict, that then the same person so offending
and convict shall for the second offence forfeit to the
Queen our Sovereign Lady, her heirs and successors, four
hundred marks; and if any person, after he in form
aforesaid shall have been twice convict of any offence
concerning any of the last recited offence; shall offend
the third time and be thereof in form above said lawfully
convict, that then every person so offending and convict
shall for his third offence forfeit to our Sovereign Lady
the Queen all his goods and chattels and shall suffer
imprisonment during his life; and if any person or persons
that for his first offence concerning the premisses shall
be convict in form aforesaid do not pay the sum to be paid
by virtue of his conviction in such manner and form as the
same ought to be paid within six weeks next after his
conviction, that then every person so convict and so not
paying the same shall for the same first offence instead
of the said sum suffer imprisonment by the space of six
months without bail or mainprise; and if any person or
persons that for his second offence concerning the
premises shall be convict in form aforesaid do not pay the
said sum to be paid by virtue of his conviction and
this statute in such manner and form as the same ought to
be paid within six weeks next after his said second
conviction, that then every person so convicted and not so
paying the same shall for the same second offence in the
stead of the said sum suffer imprisonment during twelve
months without bail or mainprise; and that from and after
the said Feast of the Nativity of St John Baptist next
coming all and every person and persons inhabiting within
this realm or any other the Queen’s Majesty’s dominions
shall diligently and faithfully, having no lawful or
reasonable excuse to be absent, endeavour themselves to
resort to their parish church or chapel accustomed, or
upon reasonable let thereof to some usual place where
Common Prayer and such service of God shall be used in
such time of let, upon every Sunday, and other days
ordained and used to be kept as Holy Days, and then and
there to abide orderly and soberly, during the time of the
Common Prayer, Preachings or other Service of God there to
be used and ministered; upon pain of punishment by the
censures of the Church, and also upon pain that every
person so offending shall forfeit for every such offence
twelve pence, to be levied by the Church wardens of the
parish where such offence shall be done, to the use of the
poor of the same parish, of the goods, lands and tenements
of such offender, by way of distress.
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