Can you give me the text of the  law banning celebration of Christmas
passed by the English Parliament in December 1652?

Hi sceptic8:

I found the text for this Act of Parliament at
http://www.zetnet.co.uk/oigs/gazet/chrissy.htm

It reads as follows. (The funny spelling is just Olde English.)

*****************************

Refolved by the Parliament,

That the Markets be kept to Morrow, being the Five and twentieth day
of December; And that the Lord Mayor, and Sheriffs of London and
Middlefex, and the Iustices of the Peace for the City of London and
Weftminster and Liberties thereof , do take care, That all such
perfons as fhall open their Shops on that day, be protected from Wrong
or Violence, and the offenders be punifhed.

Refolved by the Parliament,
That no Obfervations shall be had of the Five and twentieth day of
December, commonly called Chriftmas-Day; nor any solemnity ufed or
exercifed in Churches upon that day upon that day in refpect thereof.

Ordered by Parliament,
That the Lord Mayor of the City of London and Middlefex, and the
Iustices of the Peace respectively be Authorised within the late lines
of Communication, and weekly Bills of Morality.

- Hen: Scobell, Cleric. Parliaments

London, Printed by John Field, Printer of England, 1652. 

*****************************

Additional information about this Act can be found at.

Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658 
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/wildbunch/crom.htm

THE FACTS ABOUT CHRISTMAS
http://www.keithhunt.com/XMas.html

I hope that this information has been of help in your search.    
   
If you need any clarification of the information I have provided,
please ask using the Clarification feature and provide me with
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Thank you.         
        
websearcher-ga        
        
      
Search Strategy (on Google): 
   
1652 banning christmas
1652 banning christmas cromwell

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Request for Answer Clarification by sceptic8-ga on 08 Dec 2002 12:50 PST

thank you for your answer
however i had already found that on google.
i have not been able to find the original either in Statutes at large
or in cobbett's history of parliament.

can anyone plesase tell me where i can find the original which i 
suspect was not a law but a further ordinance to that passed in 1647

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Clarification of Answer by websearcher-ga on 08 Dec 2002 16:48 PST

Hi sceptic8:

While I was not able to find the *complete* text of the Parliamentary
decree of 1647, I was able to find the "relevant" parts at:

The Religious Observance of Christmas and ‘Holy Days’ in American
Presbyterianism
URL: http://www.fpcr.org/pdf/BlueBanner8-9&10.pdf
Quote: 

"Forasmuch as the feast of the nativity
of Christ, Easter, Whitsuntide, and other festivals,
commonly called holy-days, have been heretofore
superstitiously used and observed; be it ordained, that
the said feasts, and all other festivals, commonly called
holy-days, be no longer observed as festivals; any law,
statute, custom, constitution, or canon, to the contrary
in anywise notwithstanding.

And that there may be a convenient time allotted for
scholars, apprentices, and other servants, for their
recreation, be it ordained, that all scholars, apprentices,
and other servants, shall, with the leave of their
masters, have such convenient reasonable recreation,
and relaxation from labour, every second Tuesday in
the month throughout the year…"

This PDF file has tons of ohter interesting information about how
Christmas was (or wasn't) observed in days of old. :-)

I hope this helps!

websearcher-ga 


Additional Search Strategy (on Google):

1647 christmas british parliament abolished
decree 1647 christmas british parliament abolished

Fascinating stuff.

Interesting Q & A.