Toleration Act
In May 24,1689 the Parliament passed an act granting religious freedom to dissenters of the Church of England. This did not include Catholics or Unitarians, only Protestant denominations. The Act was established by William of Orange and Mary II during the Glorious Revolution (1688-89)
The Toleration Act allowed non-conformists to have their own places of worship including their own teachers and priests.In return, they had to take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and also had to reject the transsubstantiation (which is the Catholic belief of bread and wine turning into the Body of Christ during mass.) The dissenters were only allowed to meet in registered, unlocked houses, religious meetings in private homes were forbidden. Although the law was a step in the direction towards religious tolerance, dissenting Protestants still had to suffer from social and political restrictions imposed by the Clarendon Code, such as exclusion from political office.
Primary source
An Act for Exempting their Majesties Protestant Subjects dissenting from the Church of England from the Penalties of certaine Lawes[1]
Secondary sources
"Toleration Act." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 21 May. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/598612/Toleration-Act>. JOHN CANNON. "Toleration Act." The Oxford Companion to British History. Oxford University Press. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 21 May. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "The Toleration Act of 1689" Associated Content. 2008. 21 May. 2009 http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1206742/the_toleration_act_of_1689_pg2.html?cat=37