Did Cromwell Ban Mince Pies?
This Is One of Those 'Facts' That Everyone Knows – Dour Old Puritan Oliver Cromwell Hated Merriment and Fun and Laughing and Dancing and So Banned Mince Pies...
This is one of those 'facts' that everyone knows – dour old Puritan Oliver Cromwell hated merriment and fun and laughing and dancing and so banned mince pies when he was Lord Protector because nothing is more guaranteed to bring pleasure and enrage a killjoy than a little pagan sweet pie dusted with icing sugar…
What else did Cromwell ban?
He allowed greater religious freedom for Protestants, but introduced a string of 'moral' laws to 'improve' people's behaviour which banned the theatre and bear-baiting, and forbade people to drink or celebrate Christmas, among other things.
Who made it illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas?
And as for those pesky mince pie rumours...
The tradition comes from the time of Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, when mince pies were banned at Christmas, along with other tasty treats. Cromwell wanted to tackle gluttony in England.
Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.
