At the beginning of the
16th century monasteries owned well over a quarter of all the cultivated
land in England. Farmers who rented land from the monks often criticized
them for being greedy and uncaring landlords. It was also claimed
that the monks had been corrupted by the wealth obtained from renting
their land.
In August 1535, Thomas
Cromwell sent
a team of officials to find out what was going on in the monasteries.
After reading their reports Henry
VIII decided to close down 376 monasteries. Monastery land
was seized and sold off cheaply to nobles and merchants. They in turn
sold some of the lands to smaller farmers. This process meant that
a large number of people had good reason to support the monasteries
being closed.
However, many people disagreed
with the way Henry had stolen the property of the monks and nuns.
This was especially true of people who lived in the north of England.
A large army was formed in Yorkshire, and their attempt to win
back monastic property was
called the Pilgrimage of Grace.
After a meeting with the
Duke of Norfolk, the leader of Henry's army, the rebels agreed to
go back home in exchange for a meeting of Parliament to discuss their
complaints. Henry had no intention of keeping his side of the bargain.
He gave orders that "a good number" from every village and
town that had taken part in the pilgrimage should be publicly hung
drawn and quartered.
In 1538 Thomas
Cromwell turned his
attention to religious shrines in England. For hundreds of years pilgrims
had visited shrines that contained important religious relics. Wealthy
pilgrims often gave expensive jewels and ornaments to the monks that
looked after these shrines. Henry
VIII decided that the shrines should be closed down and
the wealth that they had created given to the crown.
The Pope and the Catholic
church in Rome were horrified when they heard the news that Henry
had destroyed St. Thomas Becket's
Shrine. On 17 December 1538, the Pope announced to the
Christian world that Henry
VIII had been excommunicated from the Catholic church.
Henry now had nothing
to lose and he closed down the rest of the monasteries and nunneries
in England, Wales
and Ireland. All told. Henry closed down
over 850 monastic houses between 1536 and 1540.
Those monks and nuns who did not oppose Henry's
policies were granted pensions. However, these
pensions did not allow for the rapid inflation that
was taking place in England at that time and within
a few years most monks and nuns were in a
state of extreme poverty.
(1)
Extracts from the Henry VIII's report on Monastic
Houses (1535)
Lampley: "Mariana Wryte had given birth
three times, and Johanna Snaden, six"
Lichfield: "two of
the nuns were with child"
Whitby "Abbot Hexham
took his cut at the proceeds from piracy"
Bradley: "prior hath
six children"
Abbotsbury: "abbot
wrongfully selling timber"
Pershore: "monks drunk
at mass"
(2)
Report on a Monastery in Lincoln (1518)
The prior is frequently drunk... The brothers of the monastery,
especially the older ones, play dice and other games for money.
(3)
Report on a Monastery in Peterborough
(1518)
The lord abbot does not choose studious brothers but looks
for lazy ones.. He sells wood and has kept the money for himself...
He had in his chamber a certain maiden named Joan Turner... The monastery
has no beds and other things for receiving guests.
(4)
H. Amold-Forster, A History of England (1898)
Some of the monks lived good lives
and did good work in teaching and helping the poor... there were others
who lived bad lives, and spent their money upon themselves... When
Henry made up his mind to destroy the monasteries and nunneries, it
was not hard for him to find out many bad things which could truly
be said of the monks and nuns, and which he could use as an excuse
for taking away their property.
(5)
G. M. Trevelyan, English Social History (1942)
Henry VII's... foolish wars in France had emptied his treasury...
If Henry had not been bankrupt, he might never have dissolved the
monasteries at all.
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