Act Against Sectaries, 1553

An act to retain the queen's subjects in obedience. For the preventing and
avoiding of such great inconveniences and perils as might happen and grow
by the wicked and dangerous practices of seditious sectaries and disloyal
persons: be it enacted by the queen's most excellent majesty, and by the
lords spiritual and temporal and the commons in this present parliament
assembled, and by the authority of the same, that, if any person or persons
above the age of sixteen years...shall obstinately refuse to repair to some
church, chapel, or usual place of common prayer to hear divine service
established by her majesty's laws and statutes in that behalf made....
[and] shall...by printing, writing, or express words or speeches advisedly
and purposely practise or go about to move or persuade any of her majesty's
subjects...to deny, withstand, and impugn her majesty['s] power and
authority in causes ecclesiastical, united and annexed to the imperial
crown of this realm, or to that end or purpose shall advisedly and
maliciously move or persuade any other person whatsoever to forbear or
abstain from coming to church to hear divine service, or to receive the
communion according to her majesty's laws and statutes aforesaid, or to
come to or to be present at any unlawful assemblies, conventicles, or
meetings under colour or pretence of any exercise of religion contrary to
her majesty's said laws and statutes; or if any person or
persons...shall...willingly join or be present at any such assemblies,
conventicles, or meetings...; that then every such person so offending as
aforesaid and being thereof lawfully convicted shall be committed to
prison, there to remain without bail or mainprise until they shall conform
and yield themselves to come to some church, chapel, or usual place of
common prayer and hear divine service according to her majesty's laws and
statutes aforesaid....

Document location: Statutes of the Realm, Records Commission

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    Copyright © 1997 The Gunpowder Plot Society; Transcribed by Jennifer
                                 O'Brien.