Puritan England

Before the Civil War, the Puritans complained about the Church of England. Now the Puritans were on top. The Commons said that there would be no bishops, and the Prayer Book was banned. Statues and pictures were removed from churches. There were no more 'holy days'.

The law was strict about what was allowed on Sundays. No-one could travel on a Sunday, except to and from church. Shops and public houses were closed. Dancing and singing were banned. Sundays would have been very dull if all the rules had been kept, but they were not.

The major-generals had to make sure that there was no drunkenness or swearing, and that everyone went to church. They could close down theatres and public houses if they wished. Some of them used these powers, but others were not so hard.

Oliver Cromwell died in 1658. His son Richard took his place, but Richard was weak. He was not a soldier or a statesman. He soon gave up, and the army took control. It called a new Parliament, and the members invited Prince Charles to return to England to become King Charles II.

Walter Robson: Crown, Parliament and People; Oxford University Press, 1992/2002, page 46 f.