Yorkshire Almanac James II’s declaration of freedom of conscience arrives in Yorkshire, but fails in its alleged underlying intention – to drive people into the arms of the Catholic church

7 April 1687: James II’s declaration of freedom of conscience arrives in Yorkshire, but fails in its alleged underlying intention – to drive people into the arms of the Catholic church

John Reresby. 1875. The Memoirs of Sir John Reresby of Thrybergh, Bart., M.P. for York, etc., 1634-1689. Ed. James J. Cartwright. London: Longmans, Green, and Company. Get it:

Unedited excerpt

If an excerpt is used in the book, it will be shorter, edited and, where applicable, translated.

There came down the declaration for liberty of conscience, gilded over with tenderness to his Majesty’s subjects, in general invitation to strangers of different opinions, improvement of trade, and promising all this time to protect the bishops and ministers of the Church of England in their functions, rights, and properties and free exercise of their religion in the churches. But the design was well understood, viz. to divide the Protestant churches, that the Papists might find less opposition. The Presbyterians or Calvinists, who most of them had begun to conform, continued to come to our churches. The Anabaptists, Quakers, and Independents made addresses of thanks to the King for this indulgence. Several gentlemen in addition to those before named had lost their employments for refusing to give their votes for taking away the penal and test laws, being all members of Parliament. After which, the Parliament being prorogued, the question how men inclined as to that matter was not so frequently put; nor did any number of Protestants, considerable either as to estates or quality, go over to the Roman Church, as yet neither invited by great preferments that waited on them, nor frightened with the King’s frowns, and the loss of their employments. So far did honour help religion, that gentlemen were the more firm, lest the world might think that they changed their religious opinions for reward.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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6 January 1687: Perhaps violating the discriminatory Test Acts, James II replaces Protestant justices of the peace by Catholics in the West Riding

29 November 1673: A verse warns Charles II against his brother James, six days after the latter’s marriage to an Italian Catholic

25 August 1662: Following Charles II’s purge of Presbyterian ministers, Roundhead Captain John Hodgson of Coley Hall (Halifax) is again harassed as a suspected plotter

30 April 1704: Whitby’s Church of England parish register records a wedding celebrated, perhaps illegally, at the Quakers Meeting

7 February 1685: Notables at York await the death of Charles II, planning to prevent anti-papists and other dissidents from disrupting the accession of James II

24 June 1687: John Reresby, governor of York, protests James II’s plans to turn his residence into a Catholic school

21 February 1688: On Shrove-Tuesday, cock-throwing York apprentices break a Catholic window, and the militia intervenes, torturing citizens and violating their civic rights

2 January 1673: Despite Charles II’s Declaration of Indulgence, Presbyterians Oliver Heywood and Christopher Richardson are detained while preaching at Lascelles Hall (Kirkburton)

26 December 1570: Edmund Grindal, Puritan archbishop of York, orders the removal of rood-lofts (and their superstitious images), and the erection of pulpits

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At some stage in 1571, either on the eve of or during a metropolitan visitation to his wayward flock, Grindal issued yet more injunctions:

By the heeding of which injunctions one may observe, how old Popish customs still prevailed in these northern quarters, and therefore what need there was of this general visitation; as the frequent use and veneration of crosses, months minds, obits and anniversaries, the chief intent whereof was praying for the dead; the superstitions used in going the bounds of the parishes; morris dancers and minstrels coming into the church in service-time, to the disturbance of God’s worship, putting the consecrated bread into the receiver’s mouth, as among the Papists the Priest did the wafer; crossing and breathing upon the elements in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and elevation; oil, tapers, and spittle in the other sacrament of Baptism; pauses and intermissions in reading the services of the Church; praying Ave-Maries and Pater-nosters upon beads; setting up candles in the churches to the Virgin Mary on Candlemas-day, and the like.

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