The Impact of the Edwardian Reformation on the County of Kent

This paper will examine the impact of the religious changes imposed on the Kentish populace during the reign of Edward VI. Kent is unique in that it consists of two dioceses – Canterbury and Rochester, the latter of which has largely been neglected. It will question whether Kent as a whole was as accepting of the new religion as has traditionally been assumed, looking at the evidence provided by the deprived clergy, churchwardens’ accounts, as well as the subsequent reaction to the so-called ‘Counter-Reformation’ in Mary I’s reign.