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Independents
Independents were members of an elitist religious sect which emerged during the English Civil War. Influenced by New England congregationalism, these Protestants believed in liberty of conscience and the independence of each congregation. They were numerically inferior to Presbyterians on the parliamentarian side, but converts in the upper echelons of the New Model Army gave them a heightened political profile. They believed in the political dominance of England in the three kingdoms, included a high percentage of adventurers, and produced much of the propaganda urging a reconquest of Ireland. First evident in Ireland during Lisle's short lord lieutenancy in 1646–7, the Independents returned in force with Cromwell. His expedition was justified by the poet John Milton, a leading Independent, in Observations upon the Articles of Peace (1649), a triple broadside against Irish Catholics, Ormond's royalists, and Scots Presbyterian settlers.
During the Interregnum there was no established religion in Ireland. In Dublin Samuel Winter established Independency at St Nicholas within the walls and John Rogers at Christ Church; in all about 30 Independent churches operated, especially in garrison towns. The Independents lost ground in the army to the Baptists during Fleetwood's government and more generally to the Presbyterian‐style Cork Association under Henry Cromwell. They nevertheless survived after the Restoration as a minor dissenting sect, protected from official harassment by their insignificant numbers and sustained by a degree of co‐operation with the southern Presbyterians. In 1695 there were reported to be six Independent congregations. Like other minor sects the Independents, now more commonly called Congregationalists, enjoyed a revival in the 19th century, their numbers rising from 162 in 1861 to more than 10,000 by 1901. SC/ and S. J. Connolly |
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"Independents." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Independents." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-Independents.html "Independents." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-Independents.html |
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independent
in·de·pend·ent / ˌindəˈpendənt/ • adj. 1. free from outside control; not depending on another's authority: the study is totally independent of central government Canada's largest independent investment firm. ∎ (of a country) self-governing: India became independent in 1947. ∎ not belonging to or supported by a political party: the independent candidate. ∎ (of broadcasting, a school, etc.) not supported by public funds. ∎ not influenced or affected by others; impartial: a thorough and independent investigation of the case. ∎ (Independent) hist. Congregational. 2. not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence: I wanted to remain independent in old age. ∎ capable of thinking or acting for oneself: advice for independent travelers. ∎ (of income or resources) making it unnecessary to earn one's living: a woman of independent means. 3. not connected with another or with each other; separate: we need two independent witnesses to testify | the legislature and the judicature are independent of each other. ∎ not depending on something else for strength or effectiveness; freestanding: an independent electric shower. ∎ Math. (of one of a set of axioms, equations, or quantities) incapable of being expressed in terms of, or derived or deduced from, the others. • n. an independent person or body. ∎ an independent political candidate, voter, etc. ∎ (Independent) hist. a Congregationalist. DERIVATIVES: in·de·pend·ent·ly adv. |
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"independent." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "independent." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-independent.html "independent." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-independent.html |
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Independents
Independents in religion, those bodies of Christians who claim freedom from ecclesiastical and civil authority for their individual churches. They hold that each congregation should have control of its own affairs. In a historic sense, it is ordinarily applied to churches in Great Britain now known as Congregational. The name Independents came into use in the 17th cent. and was in use in Great Britain until the end of the 18th cent. See Congregationalism ; Puritanism ; separatists . |
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"Independents." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Independents." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Independnts.html "Independents." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Independnts.html |
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Independents
Independents. Another name for the English Congregationalists.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Independents." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Independents." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Independents.html JOHN BOWKER. "Independents." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Independents.html |
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independent
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T. F. HOAD. "independent." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "independent." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-independent.html T. F. HOAD. "independent." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-independent.html |
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Independents
Independents. Another name for the Congregationalists.
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Cite this article
E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Independents." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Independents." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Independents.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Independents." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Independents.html |
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