English Laws of the 17th Century Which Led to the Persecution of Quaker

English Laws of the 17th Century Which Led to the Persecution of QuakersBarbara Blaugdones An Account of the Travels, Sufferings, and Persecutions of Barbara Blaugdone recounts her umpteen arrests as she travels through England and Ireland, preaching Quaker beliefs. Her experience was certainly non unique, as many Quakers were similarly persecuted, including George Fox, the fo downstairs of the Society of Friends. There were third primary laws in effect at the time of Blaugdones travels The consent Act of 1662, the Vagrancy Act of 1596 and the Blasphemy Act of 1650. The Uniformity Act of 1662 under Charles II, which was preceded by similarly named acts in 1549, 1552 and 1559, sought to restore the dominance of the church service of England by establishing a set form of worship, which included compiling a new version of the Book of Common Prayer (Keir 240). The use of this script was mandatory at all religious services. Additionally, this Act made church attendance m andatory every Sunday, under the penalty of a hunky-dory of 12 pence (Thomas 1). This directly contradicted the Quak...