Abstract

A prosopographical study, this thesis traces the emergence of religious factions among the governors of the city of Norwich in the decades preceding the English Civil War. Although a celebrated puritan citadel, as established in Elizabeth I's reign, Norwich contained groups dissatisfied with the dominant forms of godly piety. Coinciding with Bishop Samuel Harsnett's efforts to subvert the city's native puritan tradition in the 1620s, prominent lay citizens became attached to a variety of 'avant garde conformity', which matured into a fully-fledged `Laudianism' during the episcopate of Bishop Matthew Wren. The impact of Laudian reform provoked a godly backlash, which rebounded on Wren's lay and clerical supporters during the Long Parliament. However, by examining lay worshippers aligned with the religious ideals of the Caroline church, the following investigation seeks to address current historiographical issues relating to England's unresolved 'Long Reformation' and the complex nature of religious conformity under the first two Stuarts. Finally, a case will be made for Laudianism as a potent force in borough politics during Charles I's Personal Rule. By converting specific laymen to their vision of the church, Caroline divines contributed towards the formation of a Royalist contingency in Norwich, of relevance to the taking of sides in England's localised 'wars of religion' in the 1640s.