Five Mile Act 1665
The Five Mile Act, or Oxford Act, or Nonconformists Act 1665, was an Act of the Parliament of England (17 Charles II c. 2), passed in 1665 with the long title "An Act for restraining Non-Conformists from inhabiting in Corporations". It was one of the English penal laws that sought to enforce conformity to the established Church of England, and to expel any who did not conform. It forbade clergymen from living within five miles (8 km) of a parish from which they had been expelled, unless they swore an oath never to resist the king, or attempt to alter the government of Church or State. The latter involved swearing to obey the 1662 prayer book. Thousands of ministers were deprived of a living under this act.
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| Long title | An Act for restraining Non-Conformists from inhabiting in Corporations |
|---|---|
| Citation | 17 Charles II c. 2 |
| Dates | |
| Commencement | 1665 |
| Repealed | 1828 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Sacramental Test Act 1828 |
Status: Repealed | |
As an example Theodosia Alleine and her husband Joseph Alleine were obliged to move in Somerset after her husband's conviction as a non-conformist. They moved, but they were still harassed and had to move to live with friends to avoid their critic's attention.[1]
References
- "Alleine, Theodosia (fl. 1654–1677), nonconformist writer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/67079. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- Hutton, Ronald (1989). Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN 0-19-822911-9.
- 'Charles II, 1665: An Act for restraining Non-Conformists from inhabiting in Corporations.', Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628-80 (1819), p. 575. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47375. Date accessed: 6 March 2007.