Reformation and Protestant Sites in England
The main ideas of the Protestant Reformation were already present among scholars in England by the time of Luther, most notably through the teachings of John Wycliffe of Oxford. However, the English Reformation officially began in 1534, when King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church with the Act of Supremacy.
While Henry's motivation was political, religious leaders such as Thomas Cranmer took the opportunity to begin incorporating Protestant ideas in the new Church of England. When "Bloody Mary" took the throne and attempting to restore Catholicism in England, many of these Protestant leaders were executed.
The Church of England that eventually formed under Elizabeth I was a "middle way" between Catholicism and Protestantism.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Puritans, English Calvinists, attempted to reform the Church of England further to remove more aspects associated with Catholicism. For a time they exerted a powerful influence but did not win out in the end (they were more successful in America).
A third important stage of Protestantism in England occured in the 18th century, with the Revivalist or Evangelical movement led by Anglican pastors such as John Wesley (founder of Methodism) and Charles Spurgeon. These teachers emphasized repentence, personal faith, Bible reading, and a life of service.
To explore Protestant heritage in England, the following sites are especially recommended.
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Tower of London, London Here many of Henry VIII's wives were executed, as was the Catholic Queen Mary, and others who differed from the current ruling power. |
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Wesley's Chapel, Wesley's Home and Museum of Methodism, London This is the Methodist Mecca, where you can visit John Wesley's house, the chapel where he preached, his grave, and a museum chronicling the history of Methodism. |
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Aldersgate Conversion Site, London A small plaque marks the site where John Wesley was converted to a personal Christian faith after hearing Luther's Preface to Romans read at a religious meeting. |
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Metropolitan Tabernacle, London Here Charles Spurgeon held his large Revivalist meetings. |
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Bunhill Fields, London Several non-conformists (Protestants outside the established Church of England) are buried in this graveyard-turned-park, including George Fox, founder of the Quakers, and John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress. |
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Martyrs' Memorial, Oxford A large stone monument in Oxford commemorates the burning at the stake of Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley under Queen Mary. Nearby, a plaque and a mosaic cross in the street marks the place. |
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Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the leader of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion. |
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Parish Church of St. Mary and Lutterworth Museum (external links), Lutterworth John Wycliffe, a pre-Reformation reformer, was pastor at St. Mary's Church in Lutterworth, located in Leicestershire. A small museum commemorates Wycliffe and other town history. |
