Penal Laws in England

House of Tudors
 Henry VIII (1533-1547): The penal laws grew out of the English reformation
(those acts established by the royal supremacy in the Church of England).
 Edward VI (1547-1553): Civil disabilities imposed on those who remained in
communion with Rome.
 Elizabeth I: Impossible for Catholics to hold civil office. Also Penalties upon
Catholics. Fines and prison sentences. Prohibition of celebration of the Mass.
Rejection of papal authority was imposed by an oath of allegiance in 1563. 1570:
The purpose of legislation changed to defeating the new recusant missionary
campaign. TREASONABLE for a priest to enter England. 1585: Jesuits and other
priests were EXPELLED (penalty of treason or capital offense)
House of Stuarts
 James I (1603-1625): Reinforcement of the legislation. Limitation of freedom of
Catholics in movement, professional activity and inheritance of property.
 Charles I (Catholic King 1625-1637): James’ son. Tried to introduce Catholic
practices in England. Not permited because many members of parliament were
Puritans or sympathized with them. Dissolved the Parliament three times (1625-
1629).
 The Civil War (1642-1651): Those who supported King Charles I (Catholics)
against MoP who did not want England came back to Catholicism (Protestants).
MoP led by Oliver Cromwell, the Catholics were punished with confiscations. His
soldiers killed 6,000 Irish.
 Charles II (Protestant 1660-1685): After the Restoration of Charles II Parliament
passed some laws (Clarendon Code 1661-65) and the Test Act (1673) which
required holders of pulic office to take oaths of loyalty and to receive sacrament of
the Church of England; penalized Protestant nonconformists. These laws kept the
Catholic community on the margins.
 James II (Catholic 1685-1688): Wanted to remove the laws from Parliament which
stopped Catholics from taking positions in government and Parliament. Tried to
bring back the Catholic Church so that it could exist beside the Anglican Church.
Remplacement of the king by his daughter Mary II and her husband, William of
Orange.
 Mary II and William of Orange (Protestants, 1689-1702): The Parliament invited
William to invade England.
 The Jacobite-Williamite War (1689-1691): Catholics were the real losers of the
war. A fall in their share of land ownership from 22 to 14 per cent. Broke the
Catholic gentry as a group of political economic or military significance in Irish life.
Exodus of 20,000 Jacobite veterans to Europe, the emigration continued throughout
the 18th Century.