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Stuart and Civil War Reading (1603-1714)

The wool trade was now in serious trouble. John Kendrick in his will set up a charity for the employment of clothiers who had no work in a building called the Oracle. This was not a great success. The Civil War between Parliament and the King, which involved the town changing sides many times, and with merchants not able to trade, did enormous damage.

With the Civil War and the unrest of the times, led to new religious groups starting and then spreading over the country. In Reading, both Quakers and Baptists gained members in the town. After King Charles II became King in the restoration, the mayor of the town punished these new groups, sending many of them to prison. John Bunyan, a baptist, and all of the Quakers were imprisoned in the gaol, several of the Quakers dying in prison.

In 1688, King James II was overthrown by King William and Queen Mary in what is called the "Glorious Revolution". Most history books say that nobody was killed in the Glorious Revolution, but this is not true as in Reading there was a small battle and several people were killed.