Great Ejection (1662)

Great Ejection (1662)
Name	Great Ejection (1662)
Date	1662
Location	England and Wales
Outcome	Expulsion of clergy from Church of England benefices; growth of Nonconformist denominations

Great Ejection (1662) The Great Ejection of 1662 was the mass expulsion of clergy from Church of England livings following the Restoration settlement, precipitated by the Act of Uniformity. The event reshaped English religious life alongside developments involving the Restoration of Charles II, the Clarendon Code, and subsequent tensions between Anglican, Presbyterian, and Independent traditions.

Background and Causes

The Restoration of Charles II followed the Interregnum marked by the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, during which the structures of the Church of England and parish administration were disrupted. The 1660 Declaration of Breda and the influence of the Clarendon ministry sought a settlement that would restore episcopacy associated with William Laud and the episcopal hierarchy of Canterbury and York. Religious settlement debates involved factions tied to Presbyterianism, Congregationalism, Baptists, and adherents of the Puritan tradition, while political pressures from Royalists, the House of Commons, and the House of Lords shaped legislation. The insistence on uniform worship and liturgy reflected concerns rooted in the aftermath of the Solemn League and Covenant and controversies around the Directory for Public Worship versus the Book of Common Prayer.

The Act of Uniformity and Ejection Process

The Act of Uniformity 1662 mandated conformity to the revised Book of Common Prayer and episcopal ordination by bishops in apostolic succession, as upheld by the Convocation of Canterbury and influenced by figures in the Clarendon administration. Compliance required clerical subscription to tests enforced under the Corporation Act and the Conventicle Act components of the Clarendon Code passed by Parliament dominated by allies of George Monck and Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon. Clergy refusing to read the Prayer Book or accept episcopal orders were deprived of benefices by bishops acting in dioceses such as London, Durham, Exeter, and Winchester, resulting in expulsions implemented by ecclesiastical courts and patrons including noble families like the Cavendish and the Percy houses.

Key Figures and Affected Clergy

Prominent nonconforming clergy included Richard Baxter, whose pastoral influence connected to Worcester and the national Mercers' Company milieu, John Owen of Oxford and London dissent who later associated with Independent congregations, and Thomas Manton who ministered in London and developed links to Westminster Abbey-era networks. Bishops such as Gilbert Sheldon, William Juxon, and John Cosin enforced conformity across dioceses, while patrons like Robert Boyle and gentry allied to Puritan causes attempted mitigations. The affected clergy ranged from high-profile divines with published works to obscure parish priests in Somerset, Norfolk, Lancashire, and Cornwall whose ejections transformed local ecclesiastical patronage.

Immediate Religious and Social Consequences

The mass ejection produced vacant livings that were filled by clergy loyal to the restored episcopal order, influencing parish worship in towns like Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, and Canterbury. Ejected ministers formed networks of dissent that contributed to the growth of congregations meeting in private houses, rented rooms, and licensed meeting-houses, intersecting with legal pressures from the Conventicle Act and the Five Mile Act. Social consequences included shifts in charitable patronage, schooling provision tied to parish churches, and tensions between landed patrons such as the Holles and local parishioners who had attachments to ejected ministers. The events spurred publications and pamphlet exchanges involving presses in London, Leicester, and York.

Long-term Impact on English Nonconformity

The ejection catalyzed the consolidation of distinct Nonconformist denominations, influencing the development of the Presbyterian Church of England, Congregationalist polity, and Baptist churches that later engaged in political advocacy leading to toleration debates culminating in the Toleration Act 1689 under William III and Mary II. Institutional legacies included the establishment of dissenting academies linked to figures such as Matthew Henry and philanthropic networks involving families like the Hoare bankers. The cultural and theological aftereffects informed Evangelical movements associated with later leaders connected to Methodism founders such as John Wesley and organizational arrangements in urban centers like Liverpool and Birmingham.

Regional Responses and Demographics

Responses varied regionally: urban parishes in London and Bristol saw organized dissent and the rapid formation of meeting-houses, while rural counties including Devon, Wiltshire, and Yorkshire experienced dispersed adherence to ejected ministers sustained by gentry patronage and communal ties. Scotland and Ireland registered parallel but distinct reactions involving the Scottish Kirk and Irish Protestant communities; in Wales, ejections affected Welsh-speaking parishes and aided the rise of dissenting chapels in places like Cardiff and Swansea. Demographically, ejected clergy represented a cross-section of Anglican clergy from university-educated divines from Oxford and Cambridge to modest parish priests, with lay support coming from urban tradesmen, landed yeomanry, and mercantile networks centered around ports such as Hull and Plymouth.

Category:17th century in England