ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



of St. Peter's, Colney, was formed from St. Peter's and St. Stephen's in 

 St. Albans and Shenley." The Oxford Movement proper had no notable 

 adherents here, and it was not until about i860 that its effect began to be 

 felt. What this was on the fabric of the churches can be judged from a 

 comparison of the plates inserted in the county histories of Clutterbuck 

 (18 1 5) and Cussans (1879-81). A wave of restoration passed over the 

 county. In 1862 Tring Church was being renovated, while Harpenden was 

 being rebuilt, these being the first churches affected; in 1879 only three 

 of the eighteen parishes in the hundred of Dacorum were unrestored." 

 At the same time services were being increased, and monthly celebrations 

 became general. The readjustment of parishes had been begun some time 

 before ; seven new parishes were formed between 1840 and 1850, ten 

 between 1850 and i860, eight between i860 and 1870, and eight in the 

 next ten years. Only one new parish was formed in 1880-90 and four in 

 1890— 1900. Since the opening of the 20th century twelve parishes have 

 been constituted, special attention being paid to the needs of Watford with 

 its growing industrial population.'^ 



With the passing of the Act of Uniformity and the consequent ejection 

 of nonconforming clergy separatist congregations came into being all over the 

 country. The bitter feud between Independents and Presbyterians must, of 

 course, have resulted in local meetings even before this date when a member 

 of the rival party was in possession of the parish church, but organized Dissent 

 must be dated from 1662." It is known that ejected clergy set up con- 

 venticles at Watton at Stone, Hertford, Hitchin, Bishop's Stortford, Minsden 

 (in Hitchin), Rickmansworth, Bovingdon, Theobalds and Kimpton ^"^ ; the 

 majority of these were of Independents, for the Parliamentary appointments 

 to Hertfordshire churches had been markedly Independent in character. From 

 1662 to 1672 meetings such as these were, of course, illegal. Under the 

 statute of 1593 any person of over sixteen years of age who absented himself 

 from church, persuaded any other person to abstain, or was present at a 

 conventicle was liable to imprisonment till he conformed ; if he failed to 

 conform within three months of conviction his goods were declared forfeit 

 and the offender was to abjure the realm.^ This Act had fallen into disuse 

 during the period of divers opinions under the Commonwealth, but was 

 revived in 1664 as the Conventicle Act. Nonconformists were also liable 

 under the Acts specially framed against Roriian Catholics in the time of 

 Elizabeth ; by these any person of over sixteen convicted of non-attendance 

 at church was liable to a fine of ^20 for every month of absence, or to 

 forfeit two-thirds of his lands.' Except in the case of Quakers and Roman 

 Catholics these laws do not seem to have been generally enforced. On the 

 whole, there was very little disturbance, though a certain amount of vexation 

 of ministers.^ The story of the funeral service held in the abbey church 



^^ St. Albans Dioc. Cal. 1912, p. 88. It was not, however, legally constituted until 1909. 



'^ Cussans, op. cit. pasnm. '* &t. Albans Dioc. Cal. 191 2. 



'^ In April 1633 James Pope of Hemel Hempstead stood excommunicate for keeping conventicles at the 

 house of Michael Suett (S. P. Dom. Chas. I, ccclxxxvii, 68). 



I'" Calamy, Nonconformists' Mem. (1802), u,/>assim. ^ Stat. 35 Eliz. cap. i. 



^ Ibid. 23 Eliz. cap. I ; 29 Eliz. cap. 6 ; 3 Jas. I, cap. 4. 



' cf Calamy, op. cit. ii, passim ; Quarter Sess. R. (Herts. Co. Rec), i, passim. Many laymen, however, 

 were presented in the ecclesiastical courts for failing to attend the services at the parish church (Urwick. 

 op. cit. 187, &c.). 



