Page "Book of Common Prayer" Paragraph 29

On Elizabeth's death in 1603, the 1559 book, substantially that of 1552 which had been regarded as offensive by the likes of Bishop Stephen Gardiner as being a break with the tradition of the Western church, had come to be regarded in some quarters as unduly Catholic.

On his accession and following the so-called Millenary Petition, James I called the Hampton Court Conference in 1604 — the same meeting of bishops and Puritan divines that initiated the Authorized version of the Bible.

This was in effect a series of two conferences: ( i ) between James and the Bishops ; ( ii ) between James and the Puritans on the following day.

The Puritans raised four areas of concern: purity of doctrine ; the means of maintaining it ; church government ; and the Book of Common Prayer.

Here Confirmation, the cross in baptism, private baptism, the use of the surplice, kneeling at the communion, reading the Apocrypha ; and subscription to the BCP and Articles were all touched on.

On the third day, after James had received a report back from the bishops and made final modifications, he announced his decisions to the Puritans and Bishops.