Dissolution of the monasteries

What can the process of dissolution be traced back to?

The compilation of the Valor Ecclesiasticus

What’s the Valor Ecclesiasticus?

A survey ser up by Cromwell in 1535 to discover how wealthy the Church was

What did this survey give Cromwell?

Broadly accurate indication of the resources which were available for the Crown to plunder

What was the next stage after the survey?

Amassing the evidence which could be used to justify amassing the monasteries

How did the Crown amass the evidence?

Four ‘visitors’ were sent round the country to inspect all monastic institutions

What had the visitors been instructed to find and why?

Evidence of weakness and corruption, so they could criticise them

What did Tregonwell do?

Mixed his criticism with praise for the hol

What did the visitors provide Cromwell with?

Enough evidence to justify bringing in an Act of Parliament in 1536

What was the Act of Parliament 1536?

Diss

What was a smaller monastery?

A monastery that had an income of under £200 per annum

What was this act presented as?

A mechanism for preserving and improving the quality of monasticism

What was the argument made behind the act?

The smaller religious houses had allowed the standards to slip

When did the scope of dissolution widen?

After the Pilgrimage of Grace

Why did this lead to the scope of dissolution widening?

The heads of religious houses that had been implicated in the rebellion voluntarily surrendered to the Crown

What was Cromwell’s intention all along?

Get rid of all monasteries once the softening- up process had taken effect

What Act was passed 1539?

An Act dissolving the remaining monasteries

What happened by March 1450?

All remaining religious houses had been dissolved