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Wales had always been generally conservative in its religious views, with Catholicism retaining a foothold in the country. For much of Elizabeth’s reign there was relatively little Puritan activity in Wales, apart from in a few places where contact with England was more commonplace, such as on the border or via trade routes into the country.

Much of Wales was not easy to access, which added to the isolation of its communities. Also, since Welsh was the main language it was difficult for Puritanism to expand due to the fact that the main language of Puritanism was English.

It was only really during the last decade or so of Elizabeth’s reign that Puritan activity began to increase, and even then it was relatively slow.

John Penry

The leading Welsh Puritan was John Penry, born near Llangammarch Wells in Brecknockshire in 1563. Educated at Cambridge and then Oxford, he became a strong Puritan, opposed to bishops and the Elizabethan Religious Settlement.

During the 1580s, he took to writing pamphlets that were critical of the Settlement and that called for reform of the Church. As a result of his activities he came into conflict with John Whitgift, and in 1587 after publishing a pamphlet strongly critical of religion in Wales and bishops in general, he was arrested and imprisoned.

He continued his activities upon his return in 1592, settling in London and associating with extreme Puritans. This led to his arrest, trial and eventual execution in May 1593 – the first Welsh Puritan martyr.

After the 'Three Articles', Elizabeth continued to act against independent Churches and Puritanism in general, determined to maintain uniformity within the Church of England. Her refusal to make even small concessions to the Puritans did lead to an increase in the threat it posed.

Several leaders were executed, but by the end of Elizabeth’s reign, Puritanism, though contained, was by no means dead. Their influence in Parliament would continue to cause problems for the monarch for decades to come.