Henry VIII's dispute with the Vatican over his marriage to Catherine of Aragon provided an opportunity for the reform movement to develop and emerge out into the open. It would have come without the dispute but may not have been successful. The reign of Queen Mary was comparably short so while it was brutal toward those who adopted the reformed faith, Cranmer, Ridley and Latimmer for instance, it effectively ended with her death. On the other hand Catholic priests were drawn and quartered when caught during the 16th and 17th centuries. The political machinations of the Catholic Mary queen of Scots to take the throne of Elizabeth I didn't help. I have wondered about the House of Norfolk. The Duke of Norfolk is the leading Catholic layman in the UK. The family remained Catholic during the reformation . It is sad to this Evangelical to see the present day Anglican/Episcopel church to be at best quasi-Christian. I find that I have more in common with my Catholic brothers -in-Christ than with many other Protestants.