Anabaptists did not originate in England, but came from Continental Europe to escape persecution from Switzerland. English Anabaptism did not touch the country as quickly as other countries since Henry VIII wanted to eradicate heresy quickly and wanted to push a unified church in England.Joel Martin Gillaspie, Henry VIII: Supremacy, Religion, And The Anabaptists. (Utah State University, 2008) In fact, during his rule in 1535, Henry VIII had them deported out of England officially with a proclamation that, "Ordered Anabaptists to leave the realm within twelve days after parliament adjourned or suffer the penalty of death."RUDOLPH WILLIAM HEINZE, TUDOR ROYAL PROCLAMATIONS: 1485-1553. The University of Iowa, 1965, 125. In 1539 he pardoned Anabaptists with a similar proclamation to restore them to the Roman Catholic church. He wanted unity above all. While Henry VIII had broken away from the Catholic Church himself, Anabaptists did not face a welcoming country from the beginning of their coming to England. Both Henry and his Tudor successors have charged dissidents on the basis of Anabaptism, some of whom had not such convictions. Looking at primary sources, this means that just because they were charged as an Anabaptist does not mean they were one.
In the present-day, there is a Conservative Mennonite Anabaptist congregation in Craven Arms—Shropshire Hills Mennonite Church—that is a part of the Nationwide Fellowship Churches. A Beachy Amish Anabaptist congregation—Dunmore East Christian Fellowship—is present in Kilmacanogue, as well. There are two Bruderhof Communities in the United Kingdom, Beech Grove Bruderhof Community and Darvell Bruderhof Community.
Definition An Anabaptist believed that one should be baptized when a conscious decision had been made to become a follower and believer in Jesus Christ.Gillaspie, Henry VIII. While the popular view that Anabaptism is an offshoot of Protestantism is not inherently false, it fared a very different treatment from the Protestant states at the time since their followers had dissenting beliefs from mainstream reformers.
Although many people tend to only think of Anabaptism as separatist and political, English Anabaptism was not separatist and did not baptize believers again, "Non-Separatist anabaptism in England took place not because of weakness in numbers or leadership, or because it was pietist in character, but because it was the most consistent and effective expression for that particular time and place."Walter Klaassen, "The Anabaptist Understanding of the Separation of the Church." Church History (1977), 421–36. They did not act out of radical beliefs since they were fewer in numbers and wanted to make a statement; instead, they aimed to be effective in their context.
During the late Tudor period (1530–1603) many English Dissenters were lumped together under the term Anabaptism (even William Tyndale, the Bible translator, was charged with "Anabaptist heresy"), so it is hard to know about the groups of Anabaptists present in the British realms.
Separatist churches in exile on the Continent during 1580–90s likely provided a conduit for early English Anabaptist traditions. Separatist churches such as those led by Francis Johnson (1562–1618), and John Smyth (ca. 1554–1612) in Holland from 1593–1614 have been cited as a possible source of some Anabaptistic influence into England. Thomas Helwys reestablished the church led by Smyth in the City of London in 1612. It has been cited as the first English Baptist church on English soil.Wright, Stephen (2004), "Helwys, Thomas", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Background in England The origins of Anabaptism were Swiss, under Zwingli. Known for their rejection of infant baptism, they ended up being persecuted by both Protestants and Catholics alike.
In the past, there have been two strains of Anabaptists movements that were propped up. The first involved a separation of the government. The government which was responsible for executions and war, went contrary to anabaptist beliefs. The second strain is what made the Anabaptists infamous in the public eye: the institution of an absolute Anabaptist theocracy via an uprooting of the government in power. One tragic example of the latter was the uprising at Münster. There were multiple people who were believed by the masses to be apostles. One of them was Bockelson, who along with his father-in-lawRothbard, Murray N. "Messianic Communism in the Protestant Reformation." Messianic Communism in the Protestant Reformation, Mises Institute, 30 October 2017, mises.org/library/messianic-communism-protestant-reformation. would help instigate a takeover of the city hall, establishing their legal authority on the town that they believed to be the New Jerusalem. In establishing this religious government, private property was confiscated and authorized at will by the state, and had become a form of totalitarian proto-communism.
Those who belonged to the former strain of Anabaptism were persecuted because of this act of extremism. In an attempt to find a place free of religious persecution, Dutch and Flemish Anabaptists fled to England. However, they would be persecuted in England as well, as early as 1534.
Under the Tudors Under the rule of Henry VIII, Anabaptists were persecuted as dissidents of the state. Since certain Anabaptists had been involved with Munster uprising, the word Anabaptist had become associated with violence and public disturbances. This combined with the Anabaptist beliefs on baptism (a radical belief at the time) caused Henry, under Cranmer's guidance chose to persecute them.Gillaspie, Henry VIII. To Henry, it appeared to be in his best interest because he believed that such extremists were in a threat to the state. In response he enacted a few laws concerning Anabaptists and "Between 1535-1546 large numbers of foreign Anabaptists were executed or burned at the stake for heresy. In 1535, some 25 Dutch Anabaptists who had fled the Amsterdam Uprisings were quickly rounded up. They were arrested, condemned for heresy and burned at the stake within the month."QuelleNet. "ExLIBRIS: Home Page." Wayback Machine, ExLIBRIS In 1590 Anabaptists were ordered to leave England or join the Anglican Church (or the Stranger's Church). The exile increased contact with Continental Anabaptists.
With Henry's death, Edward VI took charge of the English crown and religious policy. Having a more Protestant king did not quite ease the situation at all. Under Cranmer's guidance, Joan Bocher was executed for her Anabaptists beliefs. Even so, some of these concerns of preserving religious order were not unfounded. Thomas Putto, an Anabaptist, would disrupt religious services, causing concern for those above. Edward VI did grant a concession to the Anabaptists: he had the Stranger's church formed in 1550. Because the Stranger's Church was not placed directly under the Church of England, this move placed the Anabaptists outside the eye of the bishops. This not only reduced the executions but also helped support the English economy as there were anabaptists who were artisans.QuelleNet, "ExLIBRIS"
However, with Mary I in power, Anabaptists, along with other Nonconformists were persecuted for their faith. Like the Protestants, Anabaptists were judged for what people deemed as radical beliefs.QuelleNet, "ExLIBRIS" Given that Anabaptism had been used by people to describe Church radicals, it was not uncommon for mainstream Protestant victims to be tagged as Anabaptists as well. As a result, it is hard to distinguish during this time period who actually held Anabaptist convictions.
Upon Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, her primary concern was the preservation of order and the restoration of Protestantism within the state. The Anabaptists, who chose to object to her compromises and institutions were a threat to this. While the Anabaptists did return with the end of the Catholic regime, their hopes for better life were quickly dashed: the exile of anabaptists was put into effect in 1590. With the two other options being to submit to the Church of England or join the reestablished Stranger's church, most of the Anabaptists chose to leave.QuelleNet, "ExLIBRIS" When placing the Anabaptists under judgement of the law, such trials were done with the intent to challenge the Anabaptist conscience.Alastair Duke, "MARTYRS WITH A DIFFERENCE: DUTCH ANABAPTIST VICTIMS OF ELIZABETHAN PERSECUTION." Nederlands Archief Voor Kerkgeschiedenis / Dutch Review of Church History 2000), 263-81. Interrogation on the Anabaptist beliefs such as those on infant baptism and the divinity of Christ (in conjunction with Mary) were not out of question.
Following the death of Elizabeth, James I became the new ruler of England. He continued the policies of his predecessor that valued conformity under the state.QuelleNet, "ExLIBRIS" As Holland and England continued to maintain trade relations, it was of no surprise that Anabaptist ideas still made their way into England. Under his rule, the last public burning of heretics took place. Edward Wightman was the last to be burned publicly for heresy in England, and he was an Anabaptist. Although James I valued conformity for political reasons, this still shows the value he placed on making a public statement about religious minorities as well.
Location and geography Due to persecution in Switzerland, many Anabaptists fled to England for safety. Anabaptists were scattered throughout England, even though they were only a minority.EEBO, A short history of the Anabaptists of high and low Germany. 1647. "For I am afraid that Anabaptism is very ripe in England, though no perhaps in one entire body, but scattered in pieces".EEBO, A short history of the Anabaptists of high and low Germany. 1647. 54 Many settled in port cities and in London where they could maintain their religious beliefs to an extent. "England - GAMEO." Even though they were a minority religion, there were widespread Anabaptists beliefs throughout all of England since they had people to preach their teachings around London and let them spread. The Anabaptists were people of many types of classes. For instance, there were many cases like that such of Elizabeth Gaunt who was killed for her beliefs while only being a mere shopkeeper in London.
Persecution