R917thB

Changes in elite and popular culture such as the developement of new attitudes toward religion, family, work and ritual

William Laud's Book of Common Prayer in 1637

William Laud's policy was influenced by another aspect of his character: His desire to impose total uniformity on the Church. This, too, was driven by a sincere belief that this was the duty of his office, but, to those of even slightly differing views, it came as persecution. He was convinced that to remain part of the true church, in continuity with the apostolic church, it needed to adhere to the historical creeds. In 1637, William Prynne, John Bastwick, and Henry Burton were convicted of seditious libel and had their ears cropped and their cheeks branded. Prynne reinterpreted the "SL" ("Seditious libeller") branded on his forehead as "Stigmata Laudis."Laud's effort to impose the Book of Common Prayer on the Scottish church following his 1633 visit led to the Bishops Wars of 1639 and 1640, which the Scots won. Subsequently, the Church of Scotland would be non-episcopal. Laud though that churches without bishops lay outside the true church; the Catholic Church, though "corrupt was a true church of Christ" which "raised fears of a crypto-Catholic conspiracy which would make the Church of England an enemy to king and parliament alike."

"William Laud." New World Encyclopedia. 27 Jan 2009, 01:16 UTC. 22 Apr 2009, 05:47 .