ABSTRACT
By the mid-1630s there are clear signs that many Puritan squires were becoming thoroughly disheartened as a result of the trend of events in both Church and State. Lay interference in ecclesiastical matters was particularly likely to occur when there was a close-knit Puritan group on the commission of the peace. If Puritan landowners had moments of despair the Puritan gentry could reassure themselves that they were not entirely powerless in the face of the Laudian campaign against the cause of true religion since they were both patrons of church livings and justices of the peace. In a letter written to Dr John Stoughton in September 1635 Sir Thomas Wroth expressed his dismay about the state of religion, maintaining that there was no hope of any alteration in ecclesiastical affairs and stressing that now was the time for the godly to show their courage.
