List of monasteries dissolved by Henry VIII of England
| Name | Location | County | Year dissolved | Ref (s) |
| Abbotsbury Abbey | Abbotsbury | Dorset | 1538 | |
| Abingdon Abbey | Abingdon | Oxfordshire | 1538 | |
| Bardney Abbey | Bardney | Lincolnshire | 1538 | [1] |
| Bardsey Abbey | Aberdaron | Gwynedd | 1537 | [2] |
What was the dissolution of the monasteries?
These monasteries were dissolved by King Henry VIII of England in the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
How many monastic communities were dissolved by King Henry VIII?
The overwhelming majority of the 625 monastic communities dissolved by Henry VIII had developed in the wave of monastic enthusiasm that swept western Christendom in the 11th and 12th centuries.
How many monasteries were there before the Reformation?
These monasteries were dissolved by King Henry VIII of England in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The list is by no means exhaustive, since over 800 religious houses existed before the Reformation, and virtually every town, of any size, had at least one abbey, priory, convent or friary in it.
Why did King Henry VIII close down the monasteries?
The final abbey, Waltham, closed its doors on 23 March 1540. With the monasteries suppressed, Henry now had vast amounts of wealth and masses of land. This he sold off to nobles and merchants loyal to his cause as a reward for their service, who in turn sold it off to others and became increasingly wealthy.
How many monasteries were dissolved in England?
This was followed by further dissolutions that gathered pace in 1538, and by the middle of 1540 every monastery in England and Wales, many with histories stretching back to the Anglo-Saxons, had been dissolved. Generations of English historians saw the Dissolution as inevitable.
Did Henry VIII destroy monasteries?
The Second Suppression Act of 1539 allowed the dissolution of the larger monasteries and religious houses. Monastic land and buildings were confiscated and sold off to families who sympathised with Henry's break from Rome. By 1540 monasteries were being dismantled at a rate of fifty a month.
Which monasteries were dissolved in 1536?
These monasteries were dissolved by King Henry VIII of England in the Dissolution of the Monasteries....List of monasteries dissolved by Henry VIII of England.NameBasingwerk AbbeyLocationHolywellCountyFlintshireOrderCistercianYear dissolved153694 more columns
Which monasteries survived the dissolution?
Chester Cathedral Founded originally as a Benedictine Abbey, it survived destruction during the Dissolution of the Monasteries because the monastery was handed over to the city. In 1541, it became the cathedral seat for Chester.
What did Henry the 8th do to the monasteries?
Definition. The Dissolution of the Monasteries was a policy introduced in 1536 CE by Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) to close down and confiscate the lands and wealth of all monasteries in England and Wales. The plan was designed as a lucrative element of his Reformation of the Church.
Are there still monasteries today?
Even as Western Christian monasticism fascinates ever more spiritual seekers, its number of recruits is diminishing. In the territories of the former Soviet Union, however, monasticism is experiencing a revival. Since 1989 hundreds of monasteries have been restored to worship, and many now house young novices.
Why did Henry VIII not destroy Westminster abbey?
By granting the abbey cathedral status, Henry VIII gained an excuse to spare it from the destruction or dissolution which he inflicted on most English abbeys during this period. The abbot, William Benson, became dean of the cathedral, while the prior and five of the monks were among the twelve canons.
What were the two main reasons behind the closure of monasteries?
Why Did The Dissolution of the Monasteries Happen? Henry VIII was a monarch with two great problems. First, he needed to get his marriage nullified, but the Pope refused to grant his request. Second, he needed money to fund his military ambitions and support his government.
What were the causes of the dissolution of the monasteries?
The Reasons Religious: the houses were associated with Papist practises such as praying for the dead. The Reformers were moving away from the idea of purgatory, and so these prayers were rendered unnecessary. Financial: The king was in need to meet the expenses of government.
How much money did Henry make from the dissolution of the monasteries?
This was usually a year's income. So this would have earned the king about £13,500 – though it is thought that another 10 religious houses fell into this category but their records have been lost. If this is so, the 77 houses involved would have meant that Henry received about £15,500 from them.
What religion was Henry VIII?
Henry VIII was brought up a devout Catholic. Before he became king, he had in his possession a prayer scroll containing illuminations of the Trinity, the crucified Christ, the Instruments of the Passion and several martyred saints.
Was the dissolution of the monasteries violent?
The Dissolution was a savage and brutal process. Many intransigent Abbotts and monks who refused to bend to the will of the Crown were put to death in unspeakable ways. But it was not just the inhabitants of the monasteries who suffered.
Why did Henry VIII not destroy Westminster abbey?
By granting the abbey cathedral status, Henry VIII gained an excuse to spare it from the destruction or dissolution which he inflicted on most English abbeys during this period. The abbot, William Benson, became dean of the cathedral, while the prior and five of the monks were among the twelve canons.
What were the two main reasons behind the closure of monasteries?
Why Did The Dissolution of the Monasteries Happen? Henry VIII was a monarch with two great problems. First, he needed to get his marriage nullified, but the Pope refused to grant his request. Second, he needed money to fund his military ambitions and support his government.
Which of Henry's advisers helped him destroy the monasteries?
Thomas CromwellHowever, he would have known that the monasteries were the wealthiest institutions in England and Wales. His advisors, like Thomas Cromwell, had spun the story that a great deal of their annual wealth went to the Vatican.
What happened to the monasteries in Scotland?
The Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII (1509-47), brought an end to monastic life in England and Wales; Scotland's monasteries continued until the rejection of papal authority there in 1560.
Why did the Monasteries of England and Ireland dissolve?
The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Ireland took place in the political context of other attacks on the ecclesiastical institutions of Western Roman Catholicism, which had been under way for some time. Many of these were related to the Protestant Reformation in Continental Europe.
How many monasteries survived?
Accordingly, parts of 117 former monasteries survived (and mostly still remain) in use for parochial worship, in addition to the fourteen former monastic churches that survived in their entirety as cathedrals. In around a dozen instances, wealthy benefactors or parishes purchased a complete former monastic church from the commissioners, and presented it to their local community as a new parish church building. Many other parishes bought and installed former monastic woodwork, choir stalls and stained glass windows. As it was commonly the case, by the late medieval period, that the abbot's lodging had been expanded to form a substantial independent residence, these properties were frequently converted into country houses by lay purchasers. In other cases, such as Lacock Abbey and Forde Abbey, the conventual buildings themselves were converted to form the core of a Tudor great mansion. Otherwise the most marketable fabric in monastic buildings was likely to be the lead on roofs, gutters and plumbing, and buildings were burned down as the easiest way to extract this. Building stone and slate roofs were sold off to the highest bidder. Many monastic outbuildings were turned into granaries, barns and stables. Cromwell had already instigated a campaign against "superstitions": pilgrimages and veneration of saints, in the course of which, ancient and precious valuables were grabbed and melted down; the tombs of saints and kings ransacked for whatever profit could be got from them, and their relics destroyed or dispersed. Even the crypt of King Alfred the Great was not spared the looting frenzy. Great abbeys and priories like Glastonbury, Walsingham, Bury St Edmunds, and Shaftesbury which had flourished as pilgrimage sites for many centuries, were soon reduced to ruins. However, the tradition that there was widespread mob action resulting in destruction and iconoclasm, that altars and windows were smashed, partly confuses the looting spree of the 1530s with the vandalism wrought by the Puritans in the next century against the Anglican privileges. Woodward concludes:
How much of the French abbacies were held in commendam?
Ultimately around 80 per cent of French abbacies came to be held in commendam, the commendators often being lay courtiers or royal servants; and by this means around half the income of French monasteries was diverted into the hands of the Crown, or of royal supporters; all entirely with the Popes' blessing.
When did the Danish and Norwegian monasteries disappear?
In Denmark-Norway, King Frederick I made a similar act in 1528, confiscating 15 of the houses of the wealthiest monasteries and convents. Further laws under his successor over the course of the 1530s banned the friars, and forced monks and nuns to transfer title to their houses to the Crown, which passed them out to supportive nobles who soon acquired former monastic lands. Danish and Norwegian monastic life was to vanish in a way identical to that of Sweden.
What was the purpose of the dissolution of monasteries?
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, occasionally referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, con vents and friaries, in England, Wales and Ireland, expropriated their income, disposed of their assets, and provided for their former personnel and functions. Although the policy was originally envisaged as increasing the regular income of the Crown, much former monastic property was sold off to fund Henry's military campaigns in the 1540s. He was given the authority to do this in England and Wales by the Act of Supremacy, passed by Parliament in 1534, which made him Supreme Head of the Church in England, thus separating England from papal authority, and by the First Suppression Act (1535) and the Second Suppression Act (1539). While Thomas Cromwell, Vicar-general and Vice-gerent of England, is often considered the leader of the Dissolutions, he merely oversaw the project, one he had hoped to use for reform of monasteries, not closure or seizure. The Dissolution project was created by England's Lord Chancellor Thomas Audley, and Court of Augmentations head Richard Rich.
What was the first round of suppressions?
The first round of suppressions initially aroused considerable popular discontent, especially in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire where they contributed to the Pilgrimage of Grace of 1536 , an event which led to Henry increasingly associating monasticism with betrayal, as some of the spared religious houses in the north of England (more or less willingly) sided with the rebels, while former monks resumed religious life in several of the suppressed houses. Clauses within the Treasons Act 1534 provided that the property of those convicted of treason would automatically revert to the Crown, clauses that Cromwell had presciently drafted with the intention of effecting the dissolution of religious houses whose heads were so convicted, arguing that the superior of the house (abbot, abbess, prior or prioress) was the legal "owner" of all its monastic property. The wording of the First Suppression Act had been clear that reform, not outright abolition of monastic life, was being presented to the public as the objective of the legislative policy; and there has been continuing academic debate as to whether a universal dissolution was nevertheless being covertly prepared for at this point.
What was the first case of the Norman Conquest?
As a result of the Norman Conquest, some French religious orders held substantial property through their daughter monasteries in England.
What was the saddest thing about the dissolution of the Monasteries?
One of the saddest legacies of the Dissolution was the loss and destruction of monastic libraries and their precious illuminated manuscripts. Malmesbury Abbey, one of the last monasteries to be suppressed in 1539. The nursery rhyme ‘Little Jack Horner’ is believed to be connected with the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
What happened to the Benedictine monasteries?
They were executed and their monasteries destroyed. Thousands of monastic servants suddenly found themselves without employment. The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, one of the largest English Benedictine Monasteries, suppressed in 1539. Many people, particularly in the North of England, were against the Dissolution.
What happened to monks after the disposal of their monastic lands and buildings?
However, there were some abbots and religious house leaders who refused to comply. They were executed and their monasteries destroyed.
What was the result of the Reformation?
The Reformation in Tudor England was a time of unprecedented change. One of the major outcomes of the Reformation was the destruction of the monasteries which began in 1536. The Reformation came about when Henry VIII wished to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, ...
When was Glastonbury Abbey closed?
The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, one of the largest English Benedictine Monasteries, suppressed in 1539.
Who was the last abbot of Glastonbury?
The story goes that Thomas Horner was steward to Richard Whiting, the last abbot of Glastonbury. Prior to the abbey’s destruction, the abbot is said to have sent Horner to London with a huge Christmas pie which had the deeds to a dozen manors hidden within it.
Who helped Cardinal Wolsey dissolve monasteries?
Thomas Cromwell had already helped Cardinal Wolsey dissolve monasteries in the past. First of all, a dossier was presented to Parliament outlining the corrupt morals of the clergy. Henry’s chief minister Cromwell then introduced the ‘Valor Ecclesiasticus’ to find out just how much property was owned by the Church.
What happened to the monasteries in England in 1536?
In 1536, all small religious houses with an annual income of less than £200 were ordered to be closed under the Act for the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries. Their gold, silver, and valuable materials were confiscated by the Crown and their lands sold off. This initial round of dissolutions made up around 30% of England’s monasteries, yet more were soon to follow.
What were the consequences of the dissolution of the monasteries?
With 1-in-50 of England’s adult male population belonging to a religious order and monasteries owning around a quarter of all cultivated land in the country, the Dissolution of the Monasteries uprooted thousands of lives and changed the political and religious landscape of England forever.
What happened to the abbeys in 1539?
In 1539, the Act for the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries was passed, forcing the remaining bodies to close – this was not without bloodshed however.
Why did Henry VIII petition the Pope for annulment?
Driven by love and an intense anxiety to provide an heir, Henry set about petitioning the Pope to grant him an annulment from his marriage to Catherine in what became known as the ‘King’s Great Matter’. A portrait of Henry VIII by Holbein thought to be from around 1536. Image Credit: Public domain.
What happened before Henry VIII broke with Rome?
Long before Henry VIII ‘s break with Rome the monastic houses of England had been under scrutiny, with stories of their lax religious conduct circulating the country’s elite spheres. Although there were vast monastic complexes in almost every town, most of them were only half-full, with those living there barely abiding by strict monastic rules.
Why were the friars imprisoned?
The friars from the Greenwich house were imprisoned where many died of maltreatment for example, while a number of the Carthusian monks were executed for high treason. Simple obedience was not enough for Henry VIII however, as the monasteries also had something he was desperately in need of – vast wealth.
How many religious institutions were closed in England?
In total around 800 religious institutions were closed in England, Wales, and Ireland, with many of their precious monastic libraries destroyed in the process. The final abbey, Waltham, closed its doors on 23 March 1540.
Overview
Context
At the time of their suppression, a small number of English and Welsh religious houses could trace their origins to Anglo-Saxon or Celtic foundations before the Norman Conquest. The overwhelming majority of the 625 monastic communities dissolved by Henry VIII had developed in the wave of monastic enthusiasm that swept western Christendom in the 11th and 12th centuries. Fe…
English precedents of the Church
By the time Henry VIII turned his mind to the business of monastery reform, royal action to suppress religious houses had a history of more than 200 years. The first case was that of the so-called 'alien priories'. As a result of the Norman Conquest, some French religious orders held substantial property through their daughter monasteries in England.
Continental precedents
While these transactions were going on in England, elsewhere in Europe events were taking place which presaged a storm. In 1521, Martin Luther had published De votis monasticis (On the monastic vows), a treatise which declared that the monastic life had no scriptural basis, was pointless and also actively immoral in that it was not compatible with the true spirit of Christianity. Luther also declared that monastic vows were meaningless and that no one should feel bound b…
Process
On famously failing to receive from the Pope a declaration of nullity regarding his marriage, Henry had himself declared Supreme Head of the Church of England in February 1531, and instigated a programme of legislation to establish this Royal Supremacy in law and enforce its acceptance throughout his realm. In April 1533, an Act in Restraint of Appeals eliminated the right of clergy to appea…
Ireland
The dissolutions in Ireland followed a very different course from those in England and Wales. There were around 400 religious houses in Ireland in 1530—many more, relative to population and material wealth, than in England and Wales. In marked distinction to the situation in England, in Ireland the houses of friars had flourished in the 15th century, attracting popular support …
Consequences
The abbeys of England, Wales and Ireland had been among the greatest landowners and the largest institutions in the kingdoms, although by the early 16th century, religious donors increasingly tended to favour parish churches, collegiate churches, university colleges and grammar schools, and these were now the predominant centres for learning and the arts. Nevertheless, and parti…
See also
• Cestui que
• Charter of Liberties
• Compendium Competorum
• List of monasteries dissolved by Henry VIII of England
Criticism of Monastic Houses Had Been Growing
Henry VIII Broke with Rome and Declared Himself Supreme Head of The Church
- The push towards more drastic reform was deeply personal however. In the Spring of 1526, having grown restless with waiting for a son and heir from Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII set his sights on marrying the enamouring Anne Boleyn. Boleyn had recently returned from the French royal court and was nowa sparkling courtier, well-versed in the courtly game of love. As such, sh…
He Sought to Destroy Papal Influence in England
- Now in charge of England’s religious landscape, Henry VIII set about ridding it of the Pope’s influence. In 1535, Thomas Cromwell was made Vicar General (Henry’s second in command) and sent letters to all the vicars in England, calling for their support of Henry as the Head of the Church. Under intense threat, almost all of England’s religious houses agreed to this, with those …
He Needed The Immense Wealth of The Monasteries
- After years of lavish spending and costly wars, Henry VIII had frittered away much of his inheritance – an inheritance painstakingly amassed by his frugal father Henry VII. In 1534, a valuation of the Church was commissioned by Thomas Cromwell known as the Valor Ecclesiasticus, which demanded all religious establishments give authorities an accurate invent…
Catholic Revolt Pushed Further Dissolutions
- Opposition to Henry’s reforms were widespread in England, particularly in the north where many staunchly Catholic communities persevered. In October 1536, a large uprising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace took place in Yorkshire, in which thousands marched into the city of Yorkto demand a return to the ‘true religion’. This was soon crushed, and though the king promised cle…
His Allies Were Rewarded
- With the monasteries suppressed, Henry now had vast amounts of wealth and masses of land. This he sold off to nobles and merchants loyal to his cause as a reward for their service, who in turn sold it off to others and became increasingly wealthy. Not only did this strengthen their loyalties, but also built a wealthy circle of Protestant-leaning nobles around the Crown – someth…