7 - Puritanism and the North-East Welsh Gentry, 1640–88

Summary

Before the 1640s neither puritanism nor radical Protestantism were alien concepts to the North-East Welsh gentry, but equally they did not have much purchase among any social group in the region. After the Restoration, however, the behaviour and number of Protestant nonconformists became a significant preoccupation locally and nationally. In North-East Wales this remained the case for the rest of the seventeenth century, even at times of anti-Catholic hysteria. The region was overwhelmingly dominated in the 1640s by royalists, in the 1660s and 1670s by Court supporters, and from the late 1670s onwards by Tories. While the degree of Toryism varied between individuals and families, there were very few who were prepared to publicly declare themselves as Parliamentarians, Country party supporters, or Whigs. This is vitally important considering the strong politico-religious connections in the period, and while defence of the established church was one clear priority of the North-East Welsh gentry, preventing faction and promoting political and social order was closely allied with that. Protestant nonconformists lived, from 1660 onwards, in a situation of extreme discomfort. Nonconformists were viewed as dangerous seducers, as promoters of discord and rebellion in religion and in the state. They were seen as a threat to local order and security, and were subject to arrest, prosecution, and harassment, whether moderate presbyterians such as Philip Henry, or radical Quakers such as Brian Sixsmith.

Welsh historical culture, allied to long-standing Welsh gentry ideals of social order and support for central institutions, provided the preconditions for a determinedly anti-puritan culture from the mid-seventeenth century onwards. These preconditions placed the North-East Welsh towards the more extreme end of the political spectrum in England, and meant that any local spectrum would consist of variance within that extreme. From 1660 this environment was also affected by a culture of memory that made constant reference to the Civil War and Interregnum – and in a predominantly royalist area, it is unsurprising that this increased tensions even further. While persecution intensified at times of royalist, Court, or Tory dominance in national institutions, caused by fears of plots or assassination attempts, the situation never significantly improved for nonconformists after 1660.