The Great Ejection of 1662

The Great Ejection of 1662 tells the story of one of the most consequential acts of religious upheaval in seventeenth-century England.In the summer of 1662, more than 2,000 Protestant ministers left—or were forced from—their churches because they could not accept the terms of the new religious settlement. The Act of Uniformity required ministers to conform to the restored Church of England, including accepting the Book of Common Prayer and meeting other requirements that many conscientious clergy could not honestly embrace.For these men, the decision was not merely theological. It could mean surrendering a pulpit, losing an income, leaving a home, breaking ties with a congregation, and facing an uncertain future.This book explores the people behind the famous number. It examines the ministers who refused conformity, the congregations caught between competing religious loyalties, and the political and ecclesiastical forces that produced the crisis. It also follows what happened after the ejection, when former ministers attempted to preach, teach, survive, and preserve their convictions under an increasingly restrictive regime.The Great Ejection was not the end of English Nonconformity. In many ways, it helped shape it.Through the struggles of the ejected ministers and their communities, this book reveals a turbulent England where religion could determine a person's livelihood, social position, and freedom—and where conscience could come at an extraordinary price.