Schism Act

Schism Act, 1714. An extreme Tory measure designed to stamp out dissent by preventing nonconformists and catholics educating their children in their own schools. Teachers had to apply for licences, which would only be granted if they had taken the Anglican sacrament within the previous year. On the day the Act was due to take effect, Queen Anne died, and her successor, George I, took no steps to enforce it. It was repealed in 1719.