 The latter was the Established Church in England, and various Acts of Parliament put restrictions on worship at places other than its own churches; but these were gradually relaxed, and by the 18th century many new Christian denominations had emerged, all categorised under the general name "Nonconformist".Such denominations were particularly strong in rural parts of East Sussex, and Calvinistic beliefs were especially popular.Meetings were commonly held in houses, barns or similar buildings, and groups were generally aligned to either the Independent movement or a Calvinistic interpretation of Baptist beliefs.