How far did James I satisfy the demands of the Puritans in the years 1604 to 1625?

Following the conference, Archbishop Bancroft who was unsympathetic to any calls for reform thwarted any hope for Puritan demands by issuing 141 canons regulating aspects of Church life; these were aimed at puritan ministers who never accepted all the rules of the Church. Ministers had to accept the king as head of the Church and accept that the Book of Common Prayer contained nothing contrary to the word of God – they could not accept this as they felt that there were too many ‘popish’ elements in the Prayer Book. As a result, around ninety clergy refused to conform to the canons of July 1604, and were deprived of their livings.

Post-Hampton Court Conference marked a whole new era of hope for Puritan activists, as Archbishop Abbot who allowed a certain degree of toleration for moderate Puritans replaced Bancroft 1611, which meant Puritans had a much easier life. He was more anxious to prevent more extreme Puritans leaving the church and setting up independent congregations. Many theology graduates were Puritans, so Abbot sympathised with them and wanted them to become parish ministers, as such, he did not enforce all Bancroft’s canons upon them, for example, he did not insist that gowns be worn. Additionally, the tightening of recusancy laws along with making Catholics swear an oath of allegiance to him satisfied the anti-Catholic feeling after the Gunpowder Plot.

James' stance against Armenians was softened to an extent towards the end of James’s reign, with the appointment of two prominent Armenians, Richard Neile and Lancelot Andrewes as bishops. James also appointed another Arminian, William Laud, as Bishop of St David’s in 1621, although he did so reluctantly and only under pressure from his favourite, the Duke of Buckingham. These moves by James can be seen as directly alienating the interests of the Puritans. Puritans felt even more distant with James with his religious policy in Scotland. The Articles of Perth aimed to create uniformity between the English and Scottish churches – this meant the introduction of ceremonial practices such as kneeling to receive communion, but were so unpopular that they were not fully enforced. Plans to introduce a new Prayer Book, drawn up in 1619, were quietly shelved.

Taking this all into account, James did not manage to satisfy the demands of Puritans. He held a conference acknowledging the grievances of Puritans, but brought about not meaningful changes, and following this, Bancroft’s canons had soured what little hope Puritans had left. Though Bancroft was replaced by Abbot, Puritans had not gained much except for the departure of an Archbishop determined to enforce discipline in the Church. By 1621, there were three Arminian bishops, this was definitely not something which Puritans had welcomed, nor were the religious policies in Scotland which were far too episcopal for the Puritans.