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GCSE History · key term
Refusal to attend the legally required Church of England services; in Elizabethan England, it was particularly associated with Catholics.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Paper 2
Revise: Religious MattersThe 1581 Act sharply increased recusancy fines and made converting someone to Catholicism treason. The 1585 Act made it treason for Catholic priests trained abroad to be present in England; sheltering or helping such priests could also bring the death penalty.
Paper 2
Refusal to attend the compulsory services of the Church of England; someone who refused was called a recusant.
Revise: Challenges to the SettlementRecusancy meant refusing to attend compulsory Church of England services. It challenged the settlement’s demand for uniform public worship. Recusants faced a fine of one shilling for each absence, giving Catholics a financial reason to attend even if they disagreed with the service.
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