The Five Mile Act, or Oxford Act, or Nonconformists Act 1665, was an
Act of the
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advise ...
(17
Charles II c. 2), passed in 1665 with the
long title
In certain jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and other Westminster-influenced jurisdictions (such as Canada or Australia), as well as the United States and the Philippines, primary legislation has both a short title and a long title.
The ...
"An Act for restraining
Non-Conformists from inhabiting in Corporations". It was one of the
English penal laws that sought to enforce conformity to the established
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
, and to expel any who did not conform. It forbade clergymen from living within five miles (8 km) of a parish from which they had been expelled, unless they swore an oath never to resist the king, or attempt to alter the government of Church or State. The latter involved swearing to obey the 1662 prayer book. Thousands of ministers were deprived of a living under this act.
As an example,
Theodosia Alleine
Theodosia Alleine (d. 1685) was an English nonconformist writer.
Life
Theodosia was born in Ditcheat Somerset in about 1635. She being the daughter of a Richard Alleine and a Lettice Gough. Richard was born in Ditcheat in 1610 where his father an ...
and her husband
Joseph Alleine were obliged to move to Taunton after her husband's conviction as a
non-conformist. They moved, but they were still harassed and had to move and live with friends to escape their critics.
See also
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Conventicle Act 1664
The Conventicle Act 1664 was an Act of the Parliament of England (16 Charles II c. 4) that forbade conventicles, defined as religious assemblies of more than five people other than an immediate family, outside the auspices of the Church of E ...
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Religion in the United Kingdom
Religion in the United Kingdom, and in the countries that preceded it, has been dominated for over 1,000 years by various forms of Christianity, replacing Romano-British religions, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon paganism as the primary religion. Rel ...
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Royal Declaration of Indulgence
The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant nonconformists and Roman Catholics in his realms, by suspending the execution of the Penal Laws that punished recusants from the ...
References
Sources
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{{UK legislation
Acts of the Parliament of England concerning religion
1665 in law
1665 in England
Christianity and law in the 17th century
1665 in religion