The protestants who did not conform to the governance and usages of the established Church of England, they were also known as nonconformist.
The act of uniformity of 1662 required churchmen to use all rites and ceremonies as prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer, which is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican communion. Nearly two thousand clergymen were ejected from the church for refusing to comply with the act, an event referred to as the Great Ejection. Thereafter a nonconformist was any person who advocated religious liberty.
They rebelled because the act excluded a substantial section of English society from public affairs and benefits, including certification of university degrees.
