In it ordered Charles I's execution, abolished both monarchy and House of Lords, and established the Commonwealth. Its members were mostly gentlemen, motivated by self-interest, and its policies were generally unpopular. Oliver Cromwell expelled the Rump in April Six years later it was recalled to mark the end of the Protectorate; in the members excluded by Pride were readmitted, and the Long Parliament dissolved itself in preparation for the Restoration of the monarchy.
Subjects: History — Regional and National History. View all reference entries ». View all related items in Oxford Reference ». Search for: 'Rump Parliament' in Oxford Reference ». All Rights Reserved. There is no sign that Cromwell personally played a particularly large or prominent role in formulating or advancing the various pieces of legislation and other documents which restricted the celebration of Christmas, though from what we know of his faith and beliefs it is likely that he was sympathetic towards and supported such measures, and as Lord Protector from December until his death in September he supported the enforcement of the existing measures.
The celebration of Christmas in seventeenth century England had many similarities with our own celebrations. Christmas Day itself, 25 December, was marked as a holy day, celebrating and commemorating the birth of Christ, but it also formed the first day of an extended period of celebration and merriment, lasting until early January - the Twelve Days of Christmas. Twelfth Night, which closed the period of celebration, was often marked by a renewed bout of feasting and carnivals. Christmas Day itself was a public holiday, with shops, offices and other places of work all closed, and people went to church to attend special services; over the following eleven days there were further special church services, with shops and businesses open only intermittently or for shorter hours than normal.
The celebration of all Twelve Days of Christmas contained other familiar elements, though the degree to which individuals and families participated probably varied, depending upon whether they were living in London, a large provincial town or deep in the countryside, upon whether they were rich or poor and thus upon how much time and money they could afford to expend on celebrations.
Churches, public buildings and private houses were often decorated with holly and ivy, rosemary and bays. Special food and drink was available and was consumed in larger quantities than normal, including turkey and beef, mince pies, plum porridge and specially-brewed Christmas ale; taverns and taphouses did a roaring trade. Increasingly in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, many people, especially the more Godly, came to frown upon this celebration of Christmas, for two reasons.
The most bitterly contested debates during much of the period, however, related to religion. It began with arguments over the nature and direction of the Church of England: whether it should move closer to the reformed Protestant churches of Europe, or whether it should remain a sort of hybrid, with features of both Catholic and reformed traditions.
The debate was made worse by suspicions about the Stuart kings' interest in exacerbating the Catholic tendencies in the Church, and in concerns about the threat posed by continental Catholic powers to the Protestant movement. But a revolution in Scotland forced him to return to the English Parliament in to find the money to contest it, and revived, with interest, the confrontations of the s.
Within two years, the king and Parliament were at war, and by the king had been defeated. A new power struggle ensued between Parliament and the army it had created. The army, though, was dominated by more radical views, in religion and politics. Gaining the upper hand in , it removed the Presbyterians from Parliament. The purged Parliament put the king on trial and executed him in It instituted a new regime, a republic. After his death in , the army divided and disintegrated.
But some things had changed. Religion , however, continued to be a dominant political issue. The Church of England, with its bishops and cathedrals, all abolished during the Civil War, was reconstructed after the Restoration. Public worship by the other religious groups which had mushroomed during the Civil War and Interregnum, such as Quakers and Baptists, was outlawed. Many Presbyterians, too, felt that they could not be part of the re-established Church.
The most explosive issue, though, was the desire of both Charles II and James II to enable Catholics to worship freely, without the restrictions which had been introduced in the sixteenth century.
Blocked from doing so by Parliament, they both tried to find ways of changing the law using the royal prerogative.
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