Richard
Southwell was a Member of Parliament for Norfolk. In
August 1535, Henry
VIII sent a team of officials, including Southwell, to
find out what was going on in the monasteries.
After reading their reports Henry
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.
The following year he had
his portrait painted by Hans Holbein
(see above). In 1542 he was knighted for his services to the crown.
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