The authoritarian censorship structure of the English state collapsed in 1641. It was a complicated piece of regulatory machinery consisting of the king and the archbishop of Canterbury as the heads of the secular and religious state, the Court of High Commission and Star Chamber as the executive authority for judging and punishing miscreants and the Stationers’ Guild arresting or summoning the people who were printing illegal material, which included domestic news as well as blasphemy and treason.
By late 1641, King Charles was distracted by his dealings with Parliament, Archbishop Laud was in prison, and the Court of High Commission and Star Chamber had been abolished by Parliament. This left the Stationers, the sharp end of the process of censorship, without solid authority and, besides, they were riven with internal divisions.
This collapse produced a tsunami of publications that demonstrated a wide, vigorous appetite for news and information. The sudden freedom provided a platform for many people to present their ideas to the world. This challenged the political and religious authorities.
· Public Domain · File:Chodowiecki Basedow Tafel 21 c Z.jpg
There was a dramatic increase in printed ‘newsbooks’ from this time onwards. But not everybody could read. Never mind, there was bound to be someone at the local tavern who could be persuaded to read out the latest pamphlet. And people don’t only form popular opinion via the printed word. There were many unlicensed preachers roaming around explaining how the Church of England had got it wrong about God. Some of these preachers were sharing the views of small groups that had been present in the English population for generations. Groups like the Brownists and the Family of Love had kept alive the underground teachings of the Lollards from the Middle Ages. These groups emphasised a direct, emotional, way of communing with God.
· Public Domain · File:Catalogue of Sects.GIF