Summary: Presbyterianism
Key dates:
One branch of the reformed religion was Presbyterianism which had originated from the teachings of John Calvin in Geneva and, more importantly, from John Knox in Scotland. The first Presbyterians came to Ireland from Scotland about 1610. Many of their ministers were actually appointed to Church of Ireland parishes.
Their democratic form of church government meant that Presbyterians reacted against the rule of the high churchman Charles I. After the Glorious Revolution in 1688 which brought William III and Mary II to the throne, Penal Laws were passed. These laws meant that those who did not belong to the Church of Ireland were put out of public office and their marriages were not recognised by law. They also had to pay tithes (1/10 of earnings) to the Church of Ireland. As a result of these restrictions many Presbyterians emigrated even though some people were prepared to support the Presbyterians as the pamphlet shows.
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