Elizabeth 5 - The Puritan attack on popular pastimes

Question 1

What pastimes were stopped?

Answer 1

Parish ales, ale houses and maypoles

Question 2

Why did puritans stop some popular pass times?

Answer 2

Wanted people to live purer Christian lives

Question 3

How did they clamp down on popular pass times?

Answer 3

-preaching sermons attacking festivities such as parish ales
-persuaded Justices of the Peace to ban maypoles and introduce licences for selling ale

Question 4

What drove puritan ministers to attack popular pass times (1)?

Answer 4

Puritans believed that Sunday should be reserved for prayer, not drinking and dancing.

Question 5

What drove puritan ministers to attack popular pass times (2)?

Answer 5

Stopping pagan practices.
Traditions such as May Day were pagan, not Christian.
Puritans believed this distracted from the true Christian religion.

Question 6

What drove puritan ministers to attack popular pass times (3)?

Answer 6

Preventing violent disorder.
Crowds at festivities such as parish ales and Harvest Home often became drunk and violent. Puritans did not think this was Christian behaviour.

Question 7

What drove puritan ministers to attack popular pass times (4)?

Answer 7

Preventing sex outside marriage.
Puritan ministers believed - perhaps with good reason - that dancing and drinking at festivalss uch as May Day led to the sin of sex outside marriage.