The most famous of several acts of Uniformity (1549, 1552, 1559) by which the English government required the use of the Book of Common Prayer in religious services throughout the land. During the Civil War and Commonwealth the episcopacy had been abolished and the Book of Common Prayer banned. The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to the 1662 Act which sought to restore the dominance of the Church of England. It restored the episcopacy and required the use of the latest version of the Book of Common Prayer – with its offensive prefatory remarks about “men of factious, peevish and perverse spirits” – thus leading to the ejection of as many as one thousand vicars who refused to conform.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Act of Uniformity". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1456, accessed 23 November 2024.]
