View source for Abhorrers

{{short description|English faction}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
'''Abhorrers''', the name given in 1679 to the persons who expressed their abhorrence at the action of those who had signed petitions urging King [[Charles II of England]] to assemble [[English Parliament|Parliament]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Abhorrers|volume=1|page=62}}</ref>
Feeling against [[Catholic Church|Catholics]], and especially against [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], was running strongly; the [[Exclusion Bill]] had been passed by the [[United Kingdom House of Commons|House of Commons]], and the popularity of [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth]], was very great.<ref name="EB1911"/>
To prevent this bill from passing into law, Charles had dissolved the parliament in July 1679, and in the following October had [[legislative session#Procedure in Commonwealth realms|prorogue]]d its successor, which became known as the [[Exclusion Bill Parliament]], without allowing it to meet.  He was then deluged with petitions urging him to call it together. This agitation was opposed by Sir [[George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys|George Jeffreys]] and [[Francis Wythens]], who presented addresses expressing ''abhorrence'' of the ''Petitioners,'' and thus initiated the movement of the abhorrers, who supported the action of the king. "The frolic went all over [[England]]," says [[Roger North (17th century)|Roger North]]; and the addresses of the Abhorrers which reached the king from all parts of the country formed a counterblast to those of the [[Petitioner]]s. It is said that the terms [[British Whig Party|Whig]] and [[British Tory Party|Tory]] were first applied to English political parties as consequence of this dispute.<ref name="EB1911"/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{EB1911 article with no significant updates}}
[[Category:1679 in England]]
[[Category:Stuart England]]
[[Category:Political history of England]]
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