Episode 1 of 1
Abolition of Religious Tests
- When
- 1871
- Where
- Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Universities Tests Act 1871 abolished religious tests, allowing non-Anglicans to hold academic offices at Oxford, Cambridge, and Durham.
The Act removed restrictions that had limited access to these universities to Church of England members. It permitted Roman Catholics, non-conformists, and non-Christians to hold professorships, fellowships, and studentships. This followed earlier partial reforms, such as the Cambridge University Act 1856, which had retained specific office requirements.
Sources
- Universities Tests Act 1871 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-07
- Durham University Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.