Between 1536 and 1540, on the orders of Henry VIII, every single abbey and priory in England – some 800 in total – was dissolved, or forcibly closed.
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The shattered remains of monasteries such as Binham Priory, Buildwas Abbey, Gloucester Greyfriars, White Ladies nunnery and Shap Abbey are enduring witness to four years of wilful and targeted destruction that led to permanent changes in the kingdom's religion, politics, society and economics.
As a result, as many as 14,000 monks, nuns and friars, as well as countless monastic servants and tenants, had their lives changed forever, while about 200 people were executed for opposing the Dissolution.
The decision initiated the Reformation of English religion. This focused on the authority of the pope in English religious affairs, but was soon extended to what were alleged to be ‘abuses’ and ‘superstition’ in religious observance and belief. Monasteries were especially vulnerable to attack because of what they stood for. Many had close ties with the papacy and were home to monks and nuns who were loyal to traditional religion. Moreover, religious reformers who gained influence under Henry were especially critical of the monasteries. But monasteries were also at risk because many of them were extremely rich – and the king was often desperately short of money.
The dissolution (also known as the suppression) of the monasteries proceeded in stages. The 'lesser monasteries' (those with an income of below £200 a year and fewer than 12 inmates) were dissolved in 1536. This was followed by further dissolutions that gathered pace in 1538, and by the middle of 1540 every monastery in England and Wales, many with histories stretching back to the Anglo-Saxons, had been dissolved.