Abstract :
The religious reforms of the sixteenth century exerted a profound impact upon the liturgy of
baptism in England. While historians’ attention has been drawn to the theological debates concerning the
making of the sign of the cross, the new baptism liturgy contained within the Book of common prayer
also placed an innovative importance on the public performance of the rite in the presence of the whole
congregation on Sundays and other holy days. Both religious radicals and conservatives contested this stress
on ceremony and publicity throughout the early modern period. Through the collection of large numbers
of baptism dates from parish registers, it is possible to measure adherence to these new requirements across
both space and time. Before the introduction of the first prayer book in 1549, there was considerable
uniformity among communities in terms of the timing of baptism, and the observed patterns are suggestive
of conformity to the requirements of the late medieval church. After the mid-sixteenth century, parishes
exhibited a range of responses, ranging from enthusiastic adoption by many communities to complete disregard
in religiously conservative parts of Lancashire and Cheshire. Additionally, the popularity of saints’
festivals as popular days for baptism fell markedly after 1660, suggesting a decline in the observance of these
feasts.
