 In 1569 , Sir Thomas Gargrave had described Richmondshire as a territory where all gentlemen were " evil in religion " , by which he meant predominately Roman Catholic ; it appears Leonard Calvert was no exception . During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I , continuing the changes wrought in the previous century by her father , King Henry VIII making the Monarch , the supreme authority of the Christian Church in England , continuing the pace Protestant Reformation from the Continent of Europe , with the political , spiritual and temporal separation from the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope / Papacy in Rome , therefore the Royal Government exerted authority over the matters of religious faith , practices and the Church . Acts mandating compulsory religious uniformity were enacted by Parliament and enforced through penal laws . The Acts of Supremacy and the Uniformity Act of 1559 also included an oath of allegiance to the Queen ( Henrietta Maria , wife of Charles I ) and an implicit denial of the Pope 's ( then Pope Paul IV ) authority over the English Church . This oath was required of any common " subject " ( synamous for citizen ) , who wished to hold high office , attend university , or take advantage of opportunities controlled by the state ( king / kingdom ) . 
