The end of the Marian Restoration and the early ElizabethanReformation in Canterbury. C.1557-1565

The Reformation was perhaps one of the most important socio-religious changes to occur in history. The effect it had on European culture, society and faith cannot be understated and yet, owing to the scope of Reformation sources and the relatively young trend of revisionism concerning the received truths about the period, comparatively little work has been conducted which centres around Canterbury alone, though many works incorporate references to the city into larger volumes.

This thesis will explore the issues around the Reformation in Canterbury, the structure of the church and the conformability of its clergy. Furthermore, the works of key Protestant authors that comprise a group known as the ‘Marian exiles’ will be examined to give an impression of the attitude towards Catholicism, and therefore the Reformation at large, on the part of the more puritanical Protestants. Along with an analysis of Queen Elizabeth’s historic compromise, the Elizabethan Settlement that attempted to wed a Catholic hierarchical structure with a Protestant liturgical service, this thesis will also touch on the life of the first post-restoration holder of the archbishopric of Canterbury, Matthew Parker.

Finally, this thesis will attempt to assess the impact of the Reformation upon Canterbury’s laity, both in terms of how the poorer strata of society accepted it, and the upper echelons of Canterbury society were divided. It is hoped that the analysis of this ‘local Reformation’ will contribute to the existing wealth of material about the movement as a whole.