Nonconformists

Nonconformists, a name sometimes given generally to all sectaries who, at any period in English history since the establishment of Protestantism, have refused to conform to the doctrine and practices of the Episcopal Church. It is used in a restricted sense to denote the clergy who in 1662—two years after the Restoration—left the Church of England rather than submit to the conditions of the Act of Uniformity. In 1727 the Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists received some special legal recognition, and came to be known as the Three Denominations. See ENGLAND (CHURCH OF), PRESBYTERIANS, INDEPENDENTS, &c.