Charles II and ‘Liberty to Tender Consciences’: an Unpublished Royal Declaration of November 1661

A newly discovered unpublished declaration of Charles II on ‘ecclesiastical affairs’ of November 1661 allows us to reassess the making of the religious settlement of 1660–3. The declaration contains a review of developments since his return to England and demonstrates the king’s unwavering commitment to honour his promise at Breda of a ‘liberty to tender consciences’ to accompany the return of episcopal government and worship with the Prayer Book. It also indicates his consistent pursuit of these objectives and, more broadly, his critical role in religious politics from 1660 to 1663.