Puritan choir
Encyclopedia
The Puritan Choir was a theory advanced by historian
Sir John Neale
of an influential movement of radical English Protestants in the Elizabethan Parliament. In his biography
Queen Elizabeth I Neale argues that throughout her reign Elizabeth faced increasingly organised and dominant opposition to her policies in the House of Commons and that this strengthening of Parliament sowed the seeds for the English Civil War
.
naming forty-three members of the House of Commons of 1566 as members of a Puritan
movement. The pamphlet consisted of forty-three names, each followed by a witty Latin tag, many from the scripture as well as a single English word associated with the individual. He stressed their importance in helping to shape the 1559 Elizabethan Religious Settlement
more along the lines of Calvin's Geneva suggesting that 'the House of Commons went full-cry after its radical leaders, sweeping aside any feeble Catholic opposition.' They were also influential, he argues, in pushing for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth's naming of a successor. Particularly significant was the role played in parliament by Thomas Norton
, among the individuals named on the list, who became a leading figure in the Elizabethan House of Commons.
faced opposition not from the forty-three alleged Puritans in the House of Commons
, but rather from Catholic
resistance and conservatism in the House of Lords
which she and Cecil had underestimated.. The influence that the 'Puritan Choir' could have feasibly had on the Elizabethan Religious Settlement has also been questioned by Haigh
. Of the forty-three individuals named as part of 'our choir' in Neale's document, only twenty-two of them were definitely Protestants. Furthermore, only nineteen Marian exiles were elected to the 1559 parliament, and some were unable to play any role in the Parliamentary session as they returned too late. The influence of the twenty identifiable Catholics in the 1559 House of Commons is also ignored under Neale's 'Puritan Choir' thesis.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Sir John Neale
J. E. Neale
Sir John Ernest Neale, FBA was a British historian who specialised in Elizabethan and Parliamentary history.-Academic career:...
of an influential movement of radical English Protestants in the Elizabethan Parliament. In his biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
Queen Elizabeth I Neale argues that throughout her reign Elizabeth faced increasingly organised and dominant opposition to her policies in the House of Commons and that this strengthening of Parliament sowed the seeds for the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Neale's thesis
Neale, when researching the politics of Elizabeth's reign, discovered a pamphletPamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
naming forty-three members of the House of Commons of 1566 as members of a Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
movement. The pamphlet consisted of forty-three names, each followed by a witty Latin tag, many from the scripture as well as a single English word associated with the individual. He stressed their importance in helping to shape the 1559 Elizabethan Religious Settlement
Elizabethan Religious Settlement
The Elizabethan Religious Settlement was Elizabeth I’s response to the religious divisions created over the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I. This response, described as "The Revolution of 1559", was set out in two Acts of the Parliament of England...
more along the lines of Calvin's Geneva suggesting that 'the House of Commons went full-cry after its radical leaders, sweeping aside any feeble Catholic opposition.' They were also influential, he argues, in pushing for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth's naming of a successor. Particularly significant was the role played in parliament by Thomas Norton
Thomas Norton
Thomas Norton was an English lawyer, politician, writer of verse — but not, as has been claimed, the chief interrogator of Queen Elizabeth I.-Official career:...
, among the individuals named on the list, who became a leading figure in the Elizabethan House of Commons.
Revisionist criticism
The historian Norman L. Jones has, however, argued that the 'Puritan Choir' is a misinterpretation of evidence. He maintains that in framing the religious settlement, ElizabethElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
faced opposition not from the forty-three alleged Puritans in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, but rather from Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
resistance and conservatism in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
which she and Cecil had underestimated.. The influence that the 'Puritan Choir' could have feasibly had on the Elizabethan Religious Settlement has also been questioned by Haigh
Christopher Haigh
Christopher Haigh is a British historian specialising in religion and politics around the English Reformation. Until his retirement in 2009, he was Student and Tutor in Modern History at Christ Church, Oxford and University Lecturer at Oxford University...
. Of the forty-three individuals named as part of 'our choir' in Neale's document, only twenty-two of them were definitely Protestants. Furthermore, only nineteen Marian exiles were elected to the 1559 parliament, and some were unable to play any role in the Parliamentary session as they returned too late. The influence of the twenty identifiable Catholics in the 1559 House of Commons is also ignored under Neale's 'Puritan Choir' thesis.
See also
- J. E. NealeJ. E. NealeSir John Ernest Neale, FBA was a British historian who specialised in Elizabethan and Parliamentary history.-Academic career:...
- Elizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
- Elizabethan Religious SettlementElizabethan Religious SettlementThe Elizabethan Religious Settlement was Elizabeth I’s response to the religious divisions created over the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I. This response, described as "The Revolution of 1559", was set out in two Acts of the Parliament of England...
- PuritanPuritanThe Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...