William III
The king who, reigning jointly with Queen Mary, gave the royal assent to the Toleration Act on 24 May 1689.
The Journal of the House of Lords for 24 May 1689 records that the king sat on the throne in his robes, sent for the Commons and gave his assent to the Act exempting Protestant dissenters from the penalties of certain laws; the clerk pronounced the assent in the names of the king and the queen (Lords Journal vol. 14, 24 May 1689). The declaration of fidelity that the Act prescribes for those who would not swear is a promise to be true and faithful “to King William and Queene Mary” (Toleration Act section 10). See the Toleration Act and Locke’s Letter.
In the timeline
- 24 May 1689, firm dateThe Toleration Act and Locke’s Letter
In May 1689 the English Parliament exempts Protestant dissenters who take the oaths from the penalties of the laws on worship, but not Catholics or those who deny the Trinity. In the same year John Locke’s Letter argues that the care of souls is no business of the magistrate.
Primary sources
Journal of the House of Lords
- Lords Journal vol. 14, 24 May 1689british-history.ac.uk
The Toleration Act (1 William and Mary, chapter 18)
- Toleration Act section 10british-history.ac.uk