In 1629 King Charles I dissolved Parliament and began what is called his ‘personal government’, which lasted eleven years. During this period his principal advisor on all matters of religion was William Laud, bishop of London and, later, archbishop of Canterbury. Laud loved form and ceremony and was eager to revive pre-Reformation liturgical practices.
He was also extreme in his belief in the importance of submission to authority, especially the authority of the king and his ministers. He encouraged the reintroduction into churches of stained-glass windows, crosses and crucifixes, and practices such as bowing whenever the name of Jesus was mentioned and making the sign of the cross in baptism. To many people, he seemed to be moving the Church of England uncomfortably close to Roman Catholicism.
Laud strongly resisted the more extreme Puritans and in some cases imposed severe penalties. He caused a number to have their ears cut off, their noses slit, to stand in the pillory and to suffer large fines and long imprisonments.
Between 1634 and 1637 he conducted ‘metropolitan visitations’ in which he or another official inspected the practices of a great many parish churches. If the clergyman did not follow the exact form of the prayer book and also bow whenever the name of Jesus was mentioned, Laud would refer him for discipline. In this way numerous nonconforming ministers were removed from office.
Despite the fact that Laud was a tireless worker and responsible for many positive reforms in the Church of England, he was understandably one of the most hated men in the land. When the king was finally forced to call Parliament in 1640, Laud was ordered to be arrested and placed in the Tower. He was executed for treason in 1645.