Not Just the Tudors: Did Oliver Cromwell Ban Christmas?

Host: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb (History Hit)
Guest: Professor Mark Stoyle, historian of the English Civil Wars
Released: December 22, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into the much-debated topic: Did Oliver Cromwell really ban Christmas? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and acclaimed historian Mark Stoyle explore the religious, political, and cultural forces behind the prohibition of Christmas during the English Civil Wars, the resulting resistance, and how these turbulent years shaped the future of the holiday. The discussion reaches far beyond Cromwell himself, unpicking myths, examining popular and elite reactions, and tracing how the Puritan ban left lasting echoes in British culture and literature.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Was Christmas Targeted?

(02:14–05:57)

• Protestant reformers in the 16th and 17th centuries saw Christmas as "unsanctioned by Scripture" and associated it with "popery," gluttony, idleness, and disorder.
• Professor Stoyle: "There’s a sense that it's a disguised form of evil, packaged in a sense of worshipping Christ, but actually doing the very antithesis..." (05:28)
• The episode notes the irony that, were the Puritans to see 21st-century Christmas, their suspicions about excess might seem justified.

2. Scotland Sets the Example

(06:00–08:34)

• Scotland's Reformation was more radical than England's:
  • As early as 1561, Scottish Protestants abolished Christmas, calling it an invented Catholic feast.
  • England retained its festivities until the mid-17th century.
• Under James VI & I, Christmas was reinstated in Scotland (1617), but its hold remained fragile.

3. Civil War & the Parliamentarian Program

(08:34–12:26)

• The collapse of royal authority in Scotland, followed by civil wars in England, created conditions for Puritan reformers to push their agenda, including ending Christmas.
• When Parliament sought Scottish Presbyterian military aid (Solemn League and Covenant, 1643), they made religious concessions aligning England more with Scottish practices—including suppression of Christmas.

4. The Road to Abolition

(13:04–17:32)

• Stepwise suppression seen in:
  • Parliament sitting on Christmas Day (1643) as a sign of disregard (13:08)
  • Radical shopkeepers opening on Christmas, provoking protests (13:20)
  • The anti-Christmas cultural war: Royalists published pamphlets defending the festival; Parliamentarians positioned themselves as moral reformers.
• Notable quote:
  • Professor Stoyle: “Both sides are trying to use these culture wars… to bolster their own armies and their own cause.” (14:52)

5. Outright Bans & Enforcement

(15:40–18:43)

• In 1644, Parliament made the regular monthly fast fall on Christmas Day, effectively turning the feast into a day of abstinence.
• By 1645, the new Directory of Public Worship cut Christmas from official church life.
• After Parliamentary victories (notably Naseby 1645), these measures were enforced with military strength, though in practice, enforcement varied regionally.

6. Resistance and Riot

(18:43–28:41)

• Enforcement was patchy. In "Puritan parts" (e.g., Essex, London), suppression was stronger; in rural/remote areas, private or even public celebration persisted.
• Violent reactions included the famous Canterbury Christmas riot (1647):
  • “The young men of Canterbury are very annoyed…Real trouble in the streets…Parliamentarian soldiers arrive…The rebels actually take control of the town for a while.” (23:51)
• John Taylor “the water poet” popularized the figure of the sorrowful “Old Father Christmas” in pamphlets, mocking Cromwellians and positioning the ban as both a political and cultural affront.

7. The Cultural Impact & Literary Echoes

(26:17–28:41)

• Narratives of canceled Christmas and the figure of “killjoy” Puritans inform later Victorian literature (e.g., Dickens’ Scrooge), and even C.S. Lewis's Narnia.
  • “In some ways, lurking behind Scrooge… is the figure of the Puritan, in some ways the killjoy, the person who wants to ruin everyone else’s fun…” (28:41)

8. What Did a 17th-Century Christmas Look Like?

(29:04–31:57)

• Food: Mince pies, plum porridge (forerunner of plum pudding), boar's head, collar of brawn, capons, beef, various fowl, modest present-giving (“the Christmas box”)
• Festivities: Religious services, 12 days of celebration, games (Blindman's buff, “shoeing the mare”), and the Lord of Misrule—a temporary role for one of the lower orders to preside over feasting and revelry.

9. Societal Reactions & Social Cleavages

(34:02–36:41)

• Suppression was felt most painfully by the lower classes, for whom Christmas was a time of charity and communal festivity.
• Local resistance strongest in regions like Cornwall, Wales, and other traditional strongholds; “even in the most godly areas… many people want to cling to Christmas.” (36:41)

10. Cromwell’s Role—And the Restoration

(37:51–41:19)

• Mythbusting: Cromwell was not the personal architect of the ban; the suppression predated his Protectorate:
  • “[Cromwell] is fairly blameless in all of this. The decision had already been made…before Cromwell is actually in charge of affairs at all. So really, it’s quite unfair to blame him.” (38:01)
• Christmas re-emerged after the collapse of the Republic, during the Restoration (1660), with Charles II’s return.
• Some aspects changed (perhaps more excess and debauchery post-Restoration in London), but most old customs returned.

11. Lasting Lessons and Reflections

(43:25–44:35)

• Professor Stoyle’s take-home: Christmas should not be only about "feasting oneself silly," but about fostering community and sharing joy, echoing the holiday’s roots in collective charity and rest.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Puritan logic:
  • “There's a sense that it's a disguised form of evil, packaged in a sense of worshipping Christ, but actually doing the antithesis…” – Professor Mark Stoyle (05:28)
• On the clash of tradition and reform:
  • “Who controls how people worship? How far can a government reshape a nation's cherished holiday?” – Suzannah Lipscomb (03:44)
• On cultural continuity:
  • “Lurking behind Scrooge... is the figure of the Puritan, in some ways the killjoy, the person who wants to ruin everyone else's fun...” – Professor Mark Stoyle (28:41)
• On resistance:
  • “The young men of Canterbury are very annoyed… real trouble in the streets... the rebels actually take control of the town for a while.” – Professor Mark Stoyle (23:51)
• On charitable Christmas:
  • “The idea that at Christmas one should think in broader terms... foster community... not use it simply as an excuse for greed and self-indulgence.” – Professor Mark Stoyle (43:40)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening & Historical Context: 02:14–05:57
• The Scottish Precedent: 06:00–08:34
• Civil War, Puritanism, and Cultural Battle: 08:34–14:52
• Legal Suppression of Christmas: 15:40–18:43
• Public v. Private Celebration & Riots: 22:07–26:17
• Cultural Impact and Literature: 28:05–28:41
• What Christmas Meant & Looked Like (17th c): 29:04–33:11
• Social & Geographic Divide: 34:02–36:41
• Cromwell’s Real Role: 37:51–38:29
• Restoration of Christmas: 39:45–41:19
• Reflections on Tradition Today: 43:25–44:35

Conclusion

This episode masterfully explores how the mid-17th century “ban” on Christmas was never solely Cromwell’s doing but rather the outgrowth of deeper religious and political upheavals—and how ordinary people, through acts of resistance or quiet continuity, ultimately reclaimed their holiday. The conversation also draws a generous line from the Parliamentary “cancel culture” to Victorian literature and beyond, reminding listeners that holidays are what people make of them—and that their deeper meanings, of community and generosity, are worth rediscovering.