OLIVER CROMWELL’S ENGLAND

Cromwell wanted everyone to live like Puritans. He was a highly religious man who believed that everybody should lead their lives according to what was written in the Bible. The word "Puritan" means that followers had a pure soul and lived a good life. Cromwell believed that everybody else in England should follow his example.

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Pointless enjoyment was frowned upon. Cromwell shut many inns and the theatres were all closed down. Play houses were closed because the Puritans thought the devil was at work in them.

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All births and deaths were recorded for the first time.

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Christmas day was abolished in 1652 along with decorations, mince pies and plum puddings. By the C17th, Christmas had become a holiday of celebration and enjoyment - especially after the problems caused by the civil war. Cromwell wanted it returned to a religious celebration where people thought about the birth of Jesus rather than ate and drank too much. In London, soldiers were ordered to go round the streets and take, by force if necessary, food being cooked for a Christmas celebration. The smell of a goose being cooked could bring trouble. Traditional Christmas decorations like holly were banned.

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Better care for mentally ill people was provided.

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People were fined for being on the road on a Sunday, unless they were going to church.

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The conditions in prisons were improved.

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Popular entertainments like bear-baiting, cock-fighting and even maypole dancing were all banned.

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Sunday became a very special day under the Puritans. Most forms of work were banned. Women caught doing unnecessary work on the Holy Day could be put in the stocks.

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Most sports were banned. Boys caught playing football on a Sunday could be whipped as a punishment.

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He divided up England into 11 areas; each one was governed by a major-general who was trusted by Cromwell. Most of these generals had been in Cromwell’s New Model Army. The law - essentially Cromwell's law - was enforced by the use of soldiers.

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Swearing was punished by a fine, though those who kept swearing could be sent to prison.

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Cromwell believed that women and girls should dress in a proper manner. Make-up was banned. Puritan leaders and soldiers would roam the streets of towns and scrub off any make-up found on unsuspecting women. Too colourful dresses were banned. A Puritan lady wore a long black dress that covered her almost from neck to toes. She wore a white apron and her hair was bunched up behind a white head-dress. Puritan men wore black clothes and short hair.

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Simply going for a Sunday walk (unless it was to church) could lead to a hefty fine.

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Despite all these rules, Cromwell himself was not strict. He enjoyed music, hunting and playing bowls.

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To keep the population’s mind on religion, instead of having feast days to celebrate the saints (as had been common in Medieval England), one day in every month was a fast day - you did not eat all day.

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