Dissolution of the Monasteries

• When Henry VIII became head of the English Church the priests were unpopular with nobles and ordinary people.
• Rather than living a 'monastic' very simple life, they had become rich and in some cases lazy.
• Henry VIII saw the monasteries with their lands and wealth as a means of financing his wars.
• In 1535 Thomas Cromwell did a survey of 800 Monasteries and nunneries.
• In 1536 Parliament passed an act 'dissolving' the smaller monasteries
• In 1539 another act was passed to dissolve the larger ones.
• Cromwell's men visited each abbey, priory and other religious houses. They told the priests and nuns to leave and they took all their money and treasures.
• The buildings were destroyed.
• Many fine church buildings were destroyed like Tintern Abbey (pictured above), Fountain's Abbey and Rievaulx Abbey.