BattlefieldsPre-Civil War — Kentish Petition for Episcopacy 1641-1642
English Civil War

Pre-Civil War — Kentish Petition for Episcopacy 1641-1642

1641
Kent, England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Kent, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Parliamentary majority
VS
Victor
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Royalist-Anglican gentry
Outcome
Petition presented; Dering censured by Parliament; Kent petitioning demonstrated depth of conservative Anglican opinion; county subsequently divided in civil war
The Battle

History & Significance

Kent saw the organisation of a large royalist-leaning petition in favour of episcopacy and the Book of Common Prayer in 1641-1642, gathering thousands of signatures from gentry and clergy who feared the Presbyterian direction of Parliament. When Sir Edward Dering attempted to present the petition in Parliament it was censured. The Kent petitioning activity became a focus of royalist organisation and foreshadowed the county's divided loyalties in the Civil War itself.

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