I know that King Henry kept most, if not all, Catholic doctrines such as transubstantiation and private confession to a priest.
Hi Andrew, welcome to the forum! Considering that King Henry VIII, for the most part, always considered himself a Catholic, even though he made himself head of the Church, I would say that many, if not most, Anglicans still prayed the Rosary as they had always done before the tension between Rome and King Henry. However, as the reign of King Henry progressed, the ideas of the Reformation were spreading and were sometimes (when it suited the King) allowed to spread. It wasn't uncommon for King Henry to condemn a Catholic and Protestant to death on the same day! Today, some high-church Anglo-Catholics pray the Marian Rosary, while many other Anglicans pray using the Anglican Rosary. No one has to pray the Rosary (of any kind), but some of us choose to. There is an excellent thread on the Anglican Rosary somewhere on these forums, i'll try to find the link for you. EDIT--Here is the link, there are many helpful resources on this thread: http://www.forums.anglican.net/threads/do-you-pray-the-anglican-rosary.120/ Resource: Here is the Six Articles of Faith passed in 1539 that "swung" the Church of England back in the Catholic direction. A fascinating read: http://www.thetudorswiki.com/page/Six Articles of Faith Previously, the 10 Articles of 1536 were the rule of the Church and were Protestant leaning (but still quite Catholic): http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/tenarticles.htm
I use both rosary forms. One of the many things that I love about TEC is the ability to choose various prayer forms and devotions that suits one's needs.
In the wreckage of the famous Mary Rose, Henry VIII's flagship which sunk in 1545, a crude set of beads was found in a chest beside one of the common sailors' bunks. Even if the sailor was only an early Catholic recusant, the fact that he had it and used it on-board was interesting. I understand the use of the rosary was banned in 1538, or at least people were warned off using it
Yes. The 1538 injunctions condemned mechanical recitation of the rosary. It could be prayed if people were mindful of the mysteries rather than just vainly repeating the Hail Mary! The 1547 injunction condemned all recitation of the rosary. ++Cranmer had a dislike of rosary beads.
They used it in the 'early days' because that's what they were used to. The first Book of Common Prayer in 1548 retained many "Roman Catholic" things which were done away with in 1551. By 1600 Anglicans no longer used the rosary.
I also enjoy praying the Rosary and find that meditating on the Mysteries deepens my love for Christ. One of the things that I love about the Anglican Church is the respect that Anglicans have for each other's prayer needs. The prayer group in our Parish is made up of what I call mainline Anglicans, evangelical Anglicans, one charismatic and me, the anglo-catholic.
I don't know how you would ever know if that is the case or not, I would expect that even if the Church told the people to stop it would necessarily mean they did.
Gordon, I think you are right about this. England was Catholic long before Protestant influences entered. I think it is probably the same as today. Anglicans who draw closer to Christ through praying the Rosary are not going to stop.