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Medieval Sourcebook:
The Suppression of Glastonbury Abbey 1539
Glastonbury Abbey was one of the largest and most famous English
Benedictine Monasteries. It was reputed as home of the Holy Grail.
Under Henry VIII, in the most successful land grab in English
history, Henry VIII and his chief minister Thomas Cromwell suppressed
the monasteries. This act gave the Tudor monarchs immense wealth
- perhaps one third of the Land in England. It also, effectively,
required the Protestant Reformation to come to England. Although
Henry maintained a Catholic faith, he allowed his son to be raised
as a Protestant. To maintain political support, Henry, Edward,
and later Elizabeth awarded monastic lands to members of the English
aristocracy (hence the number of English Stately homes called
"Abbey"). This disbursal of Church lands meant that
the entire English upper class was committed to maintaining separation
from Rome, and "Protestantism" became a defining feature
of English national identity.
Traditional English historiography has painted a somewhat dismal
picture of later medieval English Catholicism. Eamon Duffy's The
Stripping of the Altars has largely put such claims to rest.
There was little popular dissatisfaction with Catholic religious
practice in general, nor monasticism in general.
What follows then, represents a tragedy.
Letter of the Vistors Sent to Examine the Abbot
of Glastonbury,
To Thomas Cromwell, September 22, 1539
Please it your lordship to be advertised, that we came to Glastonbury
on Friday last past, about ten o'clock in the forenoon; and [because]…the
abbot was then at Sharpham, a place of his, a mile and somewhat
more form the abbey, we, without any delay, went into the same
place, and there…examined him upon certain articles. And
[because]…his answer was not then to our purpose, we advised
him to call to his remembrance that which he had as then forgotten,
and so declare the truth, and then came to him the same day to
the abbey; and there of new proceeded that night to search his
study for letters and books; and found in his study…a written
book of arguments against the divorce of his king's majesty and
the lady dowager, as also divers pardons, copies of bulls, and
the counterfeit life of Thomas Becket in print; but we could not
find any letter that was material. And so we proceeded again to
his examination concerning the articles we received from your
Lordship, in the answers whereof, as we take it, shall appear
his cankered and traitorous heart and mind against the king's
majesty and his succession; as by the same answers, signed with
his hand, and sent to your lordship by this bearer, more plainly
shall appear. And so, with as fair words as we could, we have
conveyed from him hence into the tower, being but a very weak
man and sickly…We have in the money 300l. and above;
but certainty of plate and other stuff there as we know not, for
we have not had the opportunity for the same, but shortly we intend
(God willing) to proceed to the same; whereof we shall ascertain
your lordship so shortly as we may. This is also to advertise
your lordship that we have found a fair chalice of gold, and divers
other parcels of plat, which the abbot had secretly hid from all
such commissioners as have been there in times past;…It may
please your lordship to advertise us of the king's pleasure by
this bearer, to whom we shall deliver the custody and the keeping
of the house, with such stuff as we intend to leave there convenient
to the king's use. We assure your lordship it is the goodliest
house of that sort that we have ever see. We would that your lordship
did know it as we do; then we doubt your lordship would judge
it a house meet for the king's majesty, and for no man else: which
is to our great comfort; and we trust verily that there shall
never come any double hood within that house again. Also this
is to advertise your lordship, that there is never a one doctor
within that house; but there be there baschelors of divinity which
be but meanly learned, as we can perceive. And thuse our Lord
preserve your good Lordship.
Letter of One of the Visitors, Richard Pollard
To Thomas Cromwell, November 16, 1539
Pleaseth it your Lordship to be advertised that..[On November
15] the late abbot of Glastonbury went from Wells to Glastonbury,
and there was drawn through the town upon a hurdle to the hill
called the Torre, where he was put to execution; at which time
he asked God for mercy and the king for his great offences towards
his highness…Afore his execution [he] was examined upon divers
articles and interrogatories to him ministered by me, but he could
accuse no man of himself of any offence against the king's highness,
nor would he confess no more gold nor silver nor any other thing
more than he did before your Lordship in the Tower…I suppose
it will be near Christmas before I shall have surveyed the lands
at Glastonbury, and take the audit there….
From T. Wright, ed. Letters Relating to the Suppression of
Monasteries, (London: Camden Society, 1843), pp. 255-56, 261-262,
Reprinted in Leon Bernard and Theodore B. Hodges, eds. Readings
in European History, (New York: Macmillan, 1958), 241-42.
This text is part of the Internet Medieval Source Book.
The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted
texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the
document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying,
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No permission is granted for commercial use.
© Paul Halsall June 1997
halsall@murray.fordham.edu
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© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 15 November 2024 [CV]
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