Churchwardens in Post-Reformation England: conformity and discipline, 1558-1640

Armstrong, Ashley Scott (2024) Churchwardens in Post-Reformation England: conformity and discipline, 1558-1640. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This thesis will focus on the office of churchwarden in England, c.1558 – 1640. It will examine
the developments they saw regarding the enforcement of religious uniformity, as successive regimes
aimed to impose outward conformity within its parishes and its ministry. The churchwarden
underwent many changes during this period, with the role being involved with multifaceted aspects
of religious, social and cultural life within their communities. While many of these will be explored,
the primary focal point will be the churchwardens’ involvement within the ecclesiastical justice
system. In 1559, 1571 and 1604 the office was granted incrementally increased levels of
responsibility and power, reflecting both the broader strategies of the Church and their trust in the
potential of the office to combat non-conformity. This thesis is a response to an often-repeated
lament by historians that the office of churchwardens lacks a dedicated history during this period,
and that their role as arbitrators of the Reformation within England’s parishes has been overlooked.
It will examine ecclesiastical injunctions and presentments from diocesan and archidiaconal
visitations throughout England, prioritising the diocese of Norwich, to prove that churchwardens
were granted ever-increasingly significant and demanding responsibilities, and also that these new
roles were being adopted wholeheartedly and with growing competency until the end of regular
Church court procedures in the 1640s.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Zoe White
Date Deposited:	03 Apr 2025 11:41
Last Modified:	03 Apr 2025 11:41
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98928
DOI:

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