The Hampton Court Conference of 1604

What was the Hampton Court Conference?

The Hampton Court Conference was a significant set of meetings held between 14 and 18 January 1604 to discuss possible reforms within the Church of England. Chaired by James I, the conference brought together some of the country’s leading Anglican bishops alongside representatives of the Puritan movement. 

One of its most important outcomes was James’s decision to commission a new English translation of the Bible. The result was the King James Version—sometimes called the King James Bible—which remains widely read around the world today.

For the Puritans, however, the conference did not deliver the level of reform they had hoped for. Some historians believe this disappointment helped fuel growing tensions between Puritan communities and the established church. In the years that followed, these tensions contributed to a small group of Puritans leaving England in search of greater religious freedom. In 1620 they sailed to North America aboard the Mayflower.

Why was the Hampton Court Conference held? 

The Church of England, established when Henry VIII broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, was still relatively young by the time James came to the English throne in 1603.

In the decades leading up to his accession, a growing group of Protestant reformers, known as Puritans, had become increasingly vocal. They believed the Church of England still retained too many traditions from Catholicism and argued that it was not yet ‘pure’ enough. They called for the removal of practices they saw as remnants of the old faith.

Under James’s predecessor, Elizabeth I, attempts to push for these reforms had largely been rejected. The arrival of a new monarch, however, offered fresh hope.  

In April 1603, as the nearly 37-year-old James travelled from Edinburgh to London for his coronation, Puritan ministers presented him with a document known as the Millenary Petition. Reportedly signed by more than a thousand ministers, it outlined a number of concerns about the Church and requested a formal meeting (or ‘conference among the learned’) where these issues could be discussed.

The petitioners were careful to express loyalty to the Crown. Rather than presenting themselves as radicals seeking to dismantle the Church, they described themselves as faithful subjects hoping for reform. 

The Puritans were essentially appealing to the King for his help and hoped in their new sovereign they might find a sympathetic ear. In response, James agreed to convene a conference of church leaders and Puritan representatives. The meeting would allow him to assess the religious divisions within his new kingdom while also asserting his authority over the Church.

Why Hampton Court Palace? 

The conference was originally planned for November 1603 at Whitehall Palace in central London. However, an outbreak of Bubonic plague forced them to postpone the gathering until January. 

Instead, the King chose Hampton Court Palace, then located safely outside the crowded city of London in open countryside. The palace was a favoured royal residence and an ideal place for the court to spend the Christmas season while also hosting the conference 

During this festive period, the Court was filled with entertainment. The playwright William Shakespeare and his company of actors, known as The King’s Men, were performing plays at the palace, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Great Hall. One can imagine that the lively atmosphere of the masques, theatrical plays and other entertainments would have contrasted sharply with the serious-minded Puritan ministers who later arrived intent on reforming the Church.

The conference itself was held in the King’s Privy Chamber, part of a first-floor suite of state rooms. If you stand in Clock Court, you can see exactly where this would have been. The delegates would have progressed from the Great Watching Chamber at the far end of the Great Hall to a room located right above the present-day archway leading to the Queen’s Stairs. From its windows they would have looked out onto the famous Astronomical Clock in Clock Court. 

Who attended the Hampton Court Conference and why?

Representatives from the Church of England

Senior leaders of the Church of England, including:

• John Whitfit (Archbishop of Canterbury), 
• Richard Bancroft (Bishop of London), 
• Lancelot Andrewes (Dean of Westminster), 

Alongside other bishops and deans, they had a strong interest in preserving the structure and traditions of the established Church.

The Puritans

Four Puritan representatives were invited to present their concerns:

• Laurence Chaderton, Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
• John Rainolds, Master of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
• John Knewstubs, rector from Suffolk
• Thomas Sparke, a clergyman from Buckinghamshire

They hoped to use the Millenary Petition as the basis for discussion.

Among their concerns were:

• Certain religious practices they believed were too closely linked to Catholic tradition, such as the sign of the cross in baptism, confirmation ceremonies, wedding rings in marriage services, kneeling during communion, and the length of church services.
• The need for better-educated ministers who were capable of preaching effectively.
• The use of excommunication for relatively minor offences (something they called ‘twelve-penny matters’).
• Delays and corruption within church courts, where some cases could take years to resolve.

What happened?

Pre-conference meeting: 12 January 1604

Before the official proceedings began, James met privately with his bishops on 12 January in his Withdrawing Chamber, close to his bedchamber, at Hampton Court. There he outlined how the discussions would be conducted. Holding this meeting within the King’s private apartments was widely seen as a sign of favour toward the bishops.

First official day: 14 January 1604

The conference formally opened on Saturday, 14 January. James met first with representatives of the Church of England and members of his Privy Council of England.

According to Tobias Matthew, Bishop of Durham, the King began with a long speech emphasising the importance of unity in religion, stating: ‘Religion was the soul of a kingdom, and unity the life of religion.’

The bishops warned James that the Puritans could undermine his authority as Supreme Governor of the Church—a concern that carried weight for a monarch who strongly believed in the divine authority of kings.

James described his role in the discussions as similar to that of a physician: 'like a good Physician, to examine and trie the complaints, and fully to remove the occasions thereof, if they prove scandalous, or to cure them, if they were dangerous…’

Second day: 16 January 1604

The second day of the conference was on Monday, 16 January. The four Puritan delegates were called to present their case for Church reform to the King. They were selected due to their reputations as being the most ‘grave, learned and modest’ of the Puritans.

Unlike the meeting, this session was more formal. The Puritan representatives were required to kneel before the King and his young heir, Henry-Frederick, Prince of Wales. The King also invited two bishops to attend, the Bishop of London and the Bishop of Winchester. 

The debate lasted around five hours. The King frequently challenged the delegates’ arguments, and the bishops joined in defending the existing structure of the Church. 

Final conclusions: 18 January 1604

The final meeting took place on Wednesday, 18 January. James announced the conference’s conclusions to the assembled church leaders. Several limited reforms were approved:

• A modest revision of the Book of Common Prayer.
• A new English translation of the Bible.
• A ruling that baptisms must be performed by ordained ministers rather than laypeople. 

For the Puritans, however, these concessions fell far short of their expectations. James made it clear that he would not abolish bishops or adopt many of the reforms they had proposed. James is said to have declared, ‘I approve the calling and use of bishops in the church, and it is my aphorism, No Bishop, No King.’

What did the Hampton Court Conference achieve?

Although most Puritan demands were rejected, the conference produced one of the most significant developments in English religious history: the commissioning of a new authorised translation of the Bible.

Completed in 1611, the King James Version became one of the most influential texts in the English-speaking world. The translation was produced by teams of scholars working in Oxford, Cambridge, and London, and took around seven years to complete.

The conference also reinforced the authority of the monarch over the Church of England. Like Elizabeth I before him, James firmly asserted his position as Supreme Governor of the Church—a role first established after Henry VIII broke with Rome.

Today, the British monarch—currently Charles III—still holds this title, although the role is now largely ceremonial.

On your next visit to Hampton Court

You can still stand in the spaces connected to the debates that shaped history right here at Hampton Court Palace.