Overview

The accession of James II in 1685 brought the restoration settlement into crisis. The leaders of the church wanted to support both the king and the establishment, but with a Roman Catholic on the throne who desired toleration for all, this policy was untenable. The bishops and most of the clergy resisted the king's demands, but once he was overthrown many of them were unable to take the oath of allegiance to his successors, whom they regarded as usurpers. They found themselves in an impossible situation, and before long they were out of the church entirely. The ‘nonjurors', as they were called, were relatively few in number (certainly when compared with the number of dissenters in 1662), but they were a danger to the state because many of them supported the Stuart pretenders to the throne. Among their friends and associates were men who had stayed inside the establishment in the hope of maintaining the church's rights, which created a serious problem for convocation, where they were disproportionately well-represented, and ultimately contributed to the permanent suspension of its business in 1717.

The convocation of 1685-7

Canterbury

The convocation met on 20 May 1685 and the acts of both houses have been preserved. Apart from the usual opening ceremonies, there are nothing but prorogations until the final dissolution on 13 July 1687.

York

No convocation is recorded during the reign of James II.