Act of Uniformity 1549

Nature of the Book of Common Prayer

Nothing in this act enforced attendance at public worship, but the provisions of the act apply to every kind of public worship or "open prayer", as it was called, which might take place. The act itself defines "open prayer" as "that prayer which is for others to come unto or near, either in common churches or private chapels or oratories, commonly called the service of the Church". The act also allowed for priests to marry, forbidden in the Catholic Church. The Act of Uniformity 1549 was the first act of its kind and was used to make religious worship across England and its territories consistent (i.e. uniform) at a time when the different branches of Christianity were pulling people in opposite directions, causing riots and crimes, particularly the Prayer Book Rebellion. Places such as London and the Southeast were very open to the act. The Book of Common Prayer defined a middle ground for Christian faith within England; the Act of Uniformity 1549 mandated that all English subjects move to that middle ground, so that they could put aside their differences.