The Laudian movement
The words of the Prayer Book did not change, but during the 1630s Archbishop Laud and his allies began to reintroduce some of the ceremonial elements of the pre-Reformation mass, especially where they were in control. This was most obvious in cathedrals (e.g. Durham) and college chapels (notoriously, Peterhouse), where copes were worn, the churches were decorated with stained glass and ornamentation, and the clergy showed great reverence towards the altar. In Oxford, you can still see what a 1630s chapel looked like if you visit Lincoln; there, the altar is railed and raised by several steps from the body of the chapel. It is also filled with 1630s stained glass, further examples of which can be seen in Univ. and Christ Church. At St Mary’s, the porch on the South side was added; the statue of the Virgin Mary was very controversial. Our pictures give some sense of how different a ‘Laudian’ service might have looked.