It said that Christmas, Easter and other such festivals were no longer to be observed with special services or celebrations. In 1645 Parliament introduced a new 'Directory of Public Worship', designed as a replacement for the Book of Common Prayer, setting out a new form of worship for the Anglican church. From this point until the Restoration in 1660, Christmas was officially illegal. Find out about services offered by Historic England for funding, planning, education and research, as well as training and skill development. It can be argued that it was as much an expression of disapproval rather than with any real hope that it would be obeyed.What was Cromwell's involvement with this? When Christmas approaches, let's remember how lucky we are that the smell of our turkey being cooked and the sight of holly decorating our front door won't make us liable for arrest! Testing vertical aerial photography methods at British Camp on the Malvern Hills. In June 1647 the Long Parliament reiterated this by passing an Ordinance confirming the abolition of the feasts of Christmas, Easter and Whitsun, though at the same time parliament said that the second Tuesday in each month was to be kept as a non-religious, secular holiday, providing a break for servants, apprentices and other employees. Yet to lay this at the door of Oliver Cromwell is unfair. They saw Christmas as a wasteful festival that threatened Christian beliefs and encouraged immoral activities, to (in Stubbs' words) the 'great dishonour of God'. But the ban did … The display looks at the true story of the ban and whether Cromwell had any involvement with it. In London, soldiers were ordered to go round the streets and take, by force if necessary, food being cooked for a Christmas celebration. Sorry to say, but this is really too basic (and I'm more tolerant than most on this site about closing). Although Cromwell himself did not initiate the banning of Christmas, his rise to power certainly resulted in the promotion of measures that severely curtailed such celebrations. The future Lord Protector served as commander. Cromwell banned Christmas as people would have known it then. Evidence: Festive celebrations, including mince pies and Christmas puddings, were reportedly banned in Oliver Cromwell's England as part of efforts to tackle gluttony. The ban, its effectiveness - and indeed Cromwell's association with it - has become part of popular mythology over the last 350 years. Like many 'moral' bans, the ban on Christmas was largely unenforceable, particularly in an Early Modern State without the machinery of a modern government or even a police force. Although Cromwell himself did not initiate the banning of Christmas, his rise to power certainly resulted in the promotion of measures that severely curtailed such celebrations. Despite his attempts, a young Kris Kringle continued to deliver toys to Sombertown. This was the now-notorious Christmas crackdown enacted in the 17th Century by English Puritans who regarded it as a frivolous, wasteful, decadent festival. Christmas then, as now, was a time of both long-cherished rituals and excessive social behaviour. By 1652 Parliament had passed laws reinforcing the Christmas ban - with fines for staging or attending Christmas services, and shops ordered to remain open on Christmas day (a very modern debate perhaps?) Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas as it had become a holiday of celebration and enjoyment, especially after the civil war. Cromwell was a Puritan, who opposed Charles I, the King, in the Long Parliament (so called because of its eight year duration) that first met in 1640. Using an old browser means that some parts of our website might not work correctly. From the mid-1500s, objections to supposedly frivolous additions to the religious calendar, like Christmas, were voiced by Puritan leaders and pamphleteers like Philip Stubbs. Professor John Morrill considers why Oliver Cromwell remains one of the country’s most controversial public figures. Oliver Cromwell and the English Protestant Puritans banned Christmas in England in 1644 In a word, no… Instead it was Parliament that did! How Cromwell’s Christmas Ban Was Enforced… or Not. Nevertheless, John Goldsmith, chairman of the Cromwell Association, tells The Times that Cromwell must have approved of the Christmas ban as it continued under his rule until he died in 1658. It is a common myth that Cromwell personally ‘banned’ Christmas during the mid seventeenth century. Given that the ordinance was issued only a few days before Christmas, the country was torn apart by Civil War, and Parliament did not control much of the country, it was questionable how many people carried this out. Paid for by public subscription, it was created in around 1901 by the sculptor F W Pomeroy. In January 1642 a bill was passed by Parliament, and signed off King Charles, legislating for a monthly day of prayer, repentance and fasting. Welcome! We use cookies to give you the best possible experience online. The latter statue is bronze and set on a Portland stone base, which is approached by a step. your username. When Christmas was banned in Scotland ... even after an Act of Parliament repealed the original ban. From this point until the Restoration in 1660, Christmas was officially illegal. Our website works best with the latest version of the browsers below, unfortunately your browser is not supported. Instead, it was the broader Godly or parliamentary party, working through and within the elected parliament, which in the 1640s clamped down on the celebration of Christmas and other saints’ and holy days, a prohibition which remained in force on paper and more fitfully in practice until the Restoration … By contrast, shops and markets were told to stay open on 25 December, and in the City of London soldiers were ordered to patrol the streets, seizing any food they discovered being prepared for Christmas celebrations. Many also felt that the Christmas festivities had simply become too drunken and debauched. In 1644, an Act of Parliament effectively banned the festival and in June 1647, the Long Parliament passed an ordinance confirming the abolition of the feast of Christmas. The woodcut on the front shows an early image of Father Christmas. The rejection of Christmas as a joyful period was reiterated when a 1644 ordinance confirmed the abolition of the feasts of Christmas, Easter and Whitsun. By the C17th, Christmas had become a holiday of celebration and enjoyment especially after the problems caused by the civil war. Oliver Cromwell, who ruled England as Lord Protector from 1653-1658, supported measures that sought to stop the festivities which surrounded Christmas. Cromwell may have approved of the laws - he was a member of the 'Godly party and a Puritan, and never acted to repeal the ban, but as he never expressed an opinion on it in his letters or speeches we simply don't know for sure what he thought about it. Cromwell ascended to power in England via the Civil War, which took place in 1642. It's a commonly held belief that Cromwell 'banned' Christmas. 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