The Church was at the centre of village life. In Almondbury, Mirfield, and Kirkheaton, people gathered each Sunday to worship. Baptisms, marriages, and funerals brought the parish together.
In London, churches were larger and stood close together. Many, including the old St Paul’s Cathedral, were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. People in Kirklees would have prayed for those affected.
Religion shaped everyday life throughout the century. The Church of England was the official church, but some people held different beliefs. After the Act of Toleration in 1689, people could form their own congregations. In 1695, Oliver Heywood built the first nonconformist chapel in the area, marking a change in local religious life.
