Shropshire Routes to Roots

1. What and Why?

Introductory information

The Dissolution of the Monasteries began in 1536 and continued on until 1540. These four years marked a time of religious repression and redistribution of wealth. Almost all of the monasteries and religious buildings in Shropshire were surrendered to men representing Henry VIII (known as Commissioners). In Shropshire, all of the significant monastic dwellings were destroyed, their land transfered to the King and their residents removed and often given pensions.

Unfortunately very few sources relating to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in Shropshire remain, which means that we have to rely on secondary, written after the time, rather than primary sources to discover more.

Henry VIII, who was the monarch of the time, was suffering from a lack of funds. He was buying a number of large estates, building defences along the south coast and suppressing unrest in Scotland and Ireland. All of these factors combined made Henry look at the wealth of the monasteries in a different light. Henry saw that if he could get his hands on some of the wealth held by the monasteries it may solve his financial problems.

There was very little violence and opposition to the Dissolution, except for the Pilgrimage of Grace, a northern rebellion in 1536, which had as much to do with social and economic discontent, as it did with the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Abbots of several monasteries were executed for treason in 1537 for their role in this rebellion.

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