Event    From 1536  To 1541

dissolution of the monasteries

In 1534, for reasons not only to do with his marital situation, Henry VIII broke with Rome, the Pope and the Catholic Church. At the time the Catholic monasteries (and abbeys, priories, convents and friaries) owned over a quarter of all the cultivated land in England. Henry declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England and as such he had the authority to do what he wanted with all this church estate. He started with the extremely valuable shrines, closing them and taking possession of their assets. On 17 December 1538 the Pope retaliated by excommunicating Henry. Henry continued his plunder and pillage, breaking up over 850 monasteries in total.

Plaques commemorating monasteries often don't mention how they were destroyed but here is a list of those that we have found so far in London: Holy Trinity Priory, Greyfriars Monastery, Hospital of St Anthony, Bermondsey Abbey, Blackfriars Priory, Charterhouse, Holywell Priory, Austin Friars, Stratford Langthorne Abbey, Chapel of St James in the Wall, Order of St John, Clerkenwell, St Mary's, Willesden, Augustinian Priory of St. Mary, Spitalfields, and Hounslow Priory.

The other, less well-known story is that some survived. To quote Dan Cruickshank at Spitalfields Life: "Elsewhere, the Lord Mayor and Corporation were successful in their campaigns to save the former monastic establishments that became St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, St. Thomas’s Hospital and Bedlam. The fact that these medieval institutions survived the Reformations to continue their useful functions is one of the more pleasing tales of sixteenth century London."

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
dissolution of the monasteries

Commemorated ati

All Hallows tower and Lambe's Chapel

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Glaziers Hall

The Glaziers Hall The land in this area formed part of the site of the cloist...

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Kipling House

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Other Subjects

Lord Llangattock, John Rolls

Lord Llangattock, John Rolls

Landowner, Conservative politician, socialite, local benefactor and agriculturalist. 1st Baron Llangattock. Based in Wales, at the Llangattock estate. Prominent member of the Anti-Vivisection Socie...

Person, Philanthropy, Politics & Administration, Wales

2 memorials
Hamilton T. Smith

Hamilton T. Smith

Furniture designer, founding member of the Design and Industries Association and director of Heals.

Person, Craft / Design, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Amelius Richard Mark Baron Lambourne

Amelius Richard Mark Baron Lambourne

Soldier and politician. His Majesty's Lieutenant for the County of Essex and President of the Royal Horticultural Society,Vice President of the RSPCA. Born in London as Amelius Wood. As occasional...

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Edward Atkinson

Edward Atkinson

Chairman of the Bridge House Estates Committee in 1886.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Emily Wilberforce

Emily Wilberforce

In 1915 as Central President of the Mothers' Union she initiated the idea of a dedicated building which resulted in the opening of Mary Sumner House in 1925.  She resigned as President in 1919. Bo...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial