Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Book of Common Prayer is the title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion. These books are also used by other churches historically related to Anglicanism. The first edition was published in 1549 during the reign of King Edward VI of England.
Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is credited with the overall editorship and structure of the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. He adapted material from other sources to produce it. He also produced the more Reformed 1552 revision.
Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake on the 21st of March 1556 as punishment for his role in the English Reformation. This happened after Mary I restored Roman Catholic worship in England.
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer remains the official prayer book of the Church of England. It was printed two years after the restoration of the monarchy, following the Savoy Conference between bishops and Presbyterian representatives.
Versions of the Book of Common Prayer, with local variations, are used in churches in over 50 countries and more than 150 different languages. In many of these churches, the 1662 edition still remains authoritative even where other books have replaced it in regular worship.
Parliament outlawed the Book of Common Prayer in 1645 during the English Civil War, replacing it with the Directory of Public Worship. The Directory made no provision for burial services, so the banned prayer book was still used clandestinely for funerals.