Meeting House Licence for Lustleigh Baptist Church

This shows one of two meeting house licences issued for Lustleigh Baptist Church and is dated 19th December 1835. Meeting House licences originated with the Toleration Act of 1689. Before this time, and during the Restoration, Nonconformists were regarded as a threat to the State and were therefore subject to penal laws. With the Toleration Act, however, a congregration were allowed to register a meeting place preventing prosecution.