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Protestant Reformation in Box
Alan Payne October 2015 The Protestant Reformation in the mid 1500s led to a chain of events that dragged Box out of medieval ways of thinking and into a modern world. Protestant influence altered social attitudes, re-shaped the landscape of the village and gave unprecedented opportunities for local people. But what was it like to live through these times? This article seeks to reconstruct how the village reacted to the Protestant Reformation which started with the abolition of Monkton Farleigh Priory in 1535 and continued for decades thereafter. There are no written records of life in the village during these times (indeed no full details in the whole of England) but we can use evidence from before and after these events to try to depict the enormous changes felt by the people of Box during this period. Right: St Thomas à Becket Church (courtesy Carol Payne) |
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Farleigh Priory Dissolved
We often confuse Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries with the Reformation but the monastic closures had almost no impact on the village. Farleigh Priory was in steep decline by the time of its dissolution in 1535 and greatly reduced from its prime. Before 1348 it had thirteen monks to sing daily services but in 1377 it was fined for having only ten monks and by 1535 it had just six clerical inmates.[1]
The monastic valuer, Richard Layton, thought in 1535 that it was outdated with its ludicrous claim to own the girdle of St. Mary Magdalene worn by local women for their protection when travelling.[2] He goes much further to prove the inadequate standards of the monastery (and verges on the ridiculous) when he writes: the prior had but 8 whores, and the rest of the monks 4, 3, 2 as they might get them.[3] That claim was later withdrawn but the Priory was one of the smallest monastic houses and, like others with a value under £200, it was dissolved by Act of Parliament.[4]
We often confuse Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries with the Reformation but the monastic closures had almost no impact on the village. Farleigh Priory was in steep decline by the time of its dissolution in 1535 and greatly reduced from its prime. Before 1348 it had thirteen monks to sing daily services but in 1377 it was fined for having only ten monks and by 1535 it had just six clerical inmates.[1]
The monastic valuer, Richard Layton, thought in 1535 that it was outdated with its ludicrous claim to own the girdle of St. Mary Magdalene worn by local women for their protection when travelling.[2] He goes much further to prove the inadequate standards of the monastery (and verges on the ridiculous) when he writes: the prior had but 8 whores, and the rest of the monks 4, 3, 2 as they might get them.[3] That claim was later withdrawn but the Priory was one of the smallest monastic houses and, like others with a value under £200, it was dissolved by Act of Parliament.[4]
Balaam's Passageway (courtesy Carol Payne)
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Tithe Income
Box was only a small part of the Priory’s assets, too far away, too small and too time-consuming for the Priory to intervene directly. The vicar of St Thomas à Becket retained his income of the small tithes (crops other than corn and hay) and he also kept some of the great tithe (corn). From feudal times, the Priory had been obliged to support the vicar out of the great tithe. By a certain composition (described as dated 1227 between the Priory and the vicar) the vicar is to be paid each year: 5 quarters of wheat, 5 quarters of barley, 2 quarters of oats, 3 quarters of dredge or misceline (mixture) such as of barley and oats.[5] The anecdote that Balaam's Passage was purpose-built for the access of monks seems rather fanciful. The document recounts that on 3 February 1227 Bishop Richard (Poore) by permission of God the humble minister of the church at Sarum was declared bishop over the church at Boxe juxta Ferlege (Farleigh) with the consent of the Prior and Convent of Ferlege. The priory was already using the mill (on the present site of the house, The Wilderness).[6] |
The Priory didn't take the rest of the great tithe because it farmed out its revenues to lay landlords in return for lump-sum payments.[7] The First Fruits and Tenths (tithe income) had been farmed out at a round sum value of £5 as early as 1294 and this continued until 1535 by when the value had increased to £11.[8] The same was true of the mill, valued at £1 in the time of John Stone (Prior 1496 - 1504) and £1.5s in 1535.
The Priory also held parts of the lay manorial income, which were valued in 1294 at an annual income of £1.15s.10d.[9] The Bonham family probably administered this as they did several other matters in their role as local Steward for the Priory from 1516.[10]
The Priory also held parts of the lay manorial income, which were valued in 1294 at an annual income of £1.15s.10d.[9] The Bonham family probably administered this as they did several other matters in their role as local Steward for the Priory from 1516.[10]
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The assets held by other local monasteries in Box were of little value and had remained unchanged since feudal times. Stanley Abbey had quarries gifted by Samson Bigod and Henry and Walter Croke; together with four small parcels of land adjoining the quarries.[11] Most of this went to Sir Edward Baynton of Bromham who also owned Spye Park.[12]
Walter Croke's gift of a quarry to Bradenstoke Priory went to Richard Pexall, High Sheriff of Hampshire. Lacock Abbey's portion of a quarry exchange with Stanley Abbey went to Sir William Sharington, an opportunist merchant who had made most of his money by embezzling the royal mint in Bristol.[13] |
Monk's Conduit (Well House) at Farleigh Rise, almost the only remains of the Priory.
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At the time of Farleigh's dissolution, Parliament claimed the measure was to strengthen larger monasteries and similar reorganisations had happened in the past. They claimed that the proceeds were needed to endow educational colleges at Trinity and Christ Church to educate new Catholic clerics.
Protestant Reformation in Box
The dissolution of Monkton Farleigh Priory per se did not affect spiritual practices in Box. People appreciated the significance of the change (as evidenced by the Pilgrimage of Grace supporting Catholicism in the north of England) but many believed the reformation would improve the existing system rather than introduce a revolution in belief.
Small measures of spiritual reform were introduced by Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. In 1536 the government began by issuing edicts to churchwardens to carry out some minor changes, although the first of these impacted considerably on Box through the abolition of the cult of St Thomas à Becket, the patron of Box Church.[14]
Other acts followed including the Bishops Book of 1537 which set out Homilies (sermons) for clergy to read out loud in churches if they felt themselves incapable of preaching.[15] Every parish was instructed to buy a copy of the Bible in English in 1538, to avoid most candles (except altar candles) and remove images depicting pilgrimage and the veneration of saints.[16] But there was no significant move towards Puritanism or away from the main Catholic practises or the religious church calendar.
The Protestant Reformation was driven much further after 1547 by politicians like Edward Seymour, appointed Protector of the boy king Edward VI, aged only ten. There were government orders to remove shrines and to whitewash pictures of Christ and the saints; and circuits of visitation were set up to enforce observance. The visitations forbade church ales (like Box Revels) in the West of England, church guilds were suppressed, and church processions limited.
Protestant Reformation in Box
The dissolution of Monkton Farleigh Priory per se did not affect spiritual practices in Box. People appreciated the significance of the change (as evidenced by the Pilgrimage of Grace supporting Catholicism in the north of England) but many believed the reformation would improve the existing system rather than introduce a revolution in belief.
Small measures of spiritual reform were introduced by Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. In 1536 the government began by issuing edicts to churchwardens to carry out some minor changes, although the first of these impacted considerably on Box through the abolition of the cult of St Thomas à Becket, the patron of Box Church.[14]
Other acts followed including the Bishops Book of 1537 which set out Homilies (sermons) for clergy to read out loud in churches if they felt themselves incapable of preaching.[15] Every parish was instructed to buy a copy of the Bible in English in 1538, to avoid most candles (except altar candles) and remove images depicting pilgrimage and the veneration of saints.[16] But there was no significant move towards Puritanism or away from the main Catholic practises or the religious church calendar.
The Protestant Reformation was driven much further after 1547 by politicians like Edward Seymour, appointed Protector of the boy king Edward VI, aged only ten. There were government orders to remove shrines and to whitewash pictures of Christ and the saints; and circuits of visitation were set up to enforce observance. The visitations forbade church ales (like Box Revels) in the West of England, church guilds were suppressed, and church processions limited.
The rood proper (Anglo-Saxon rood or rode = cross) was a carved figure of Christ on the cross, customarily with Mary (BVM) on the right and St John the Baptist on the left, sometimes with additional saints.
An act was passed to allow the laity to drink communion wine, previously limited to the priest. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer rendering the whole service of the mass into English rather than Latin was introduced in the village.Visitations by officials were the principal force for bringing change and it is probable that Edward Seymour (who called himself Protector Somerset) was committed to enforcing local change after he acquired Monkton Farleigh Manor following the Priory's dissolution.[19] However, this doesn't explain the attitude of local residents at the time.
An act was passed to allow the laity to drink communion wine, previously limited to the priest. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer rendering the whole service of the mass into English rather than Latin was introduced in the village.Visitations by officials were the principal force for bringing change and it is probable that Edward Seymour (who called himself Protector Somerset) was committed to enforcing local change after he acquired Monkton Farleigh Manor following the Priory's dissolution.[19] However, this doesn't explain the attitude of local residents at the time.
Where the Rood Screen once stood to block off the view of the mass from the congregation (courtesy Carol Payne).
Did Box Welcome Protestantism?
Why did the churchwardens, the vicar and the people of Box accept the Reformation changes so easily? There is no evidence of a Puritan zeal in Box at this time or a commitment against Catholicism. There were massive uprisings in Devon and Cornwall in 1549 when the mass in Latin was abolished, which was put down ruthlessly with rioters exhibited throughout the West strung up on gallows.
Throughout Wiltshire, much of the early Reformation was reversed in Mary’s reign (1553-58); the situation was reversed again under Elizabeth, relatively rapidly and completely.[20] Nowhere was evangelising Puritanism evident or any attempt to revise the forms of religious observance such as the mass.
The first Book of Common Prayer of 1549 and its revision of 1552 were essentially translations of the Sarum Rite, a widely used Latin service dating from the 1200's, but with some continental influences particularly from Cologne. The rituals in Elizabeth's Chapels Royal were close to Roman usage, but choirs sang in English, which greatly advanced English music of the Tudor period. Calvinism, as promoted by John Knox in Scotland, with its fixation on punishment for sin, real or supposed, was noticeably absent. The half-way house, familiar rituals but in English and not too much condemnation, must have been just more comfortable to live
with! [21]
Most people probably realised that many of the old ways were becoming inappropriate. The payment of tithes had always been resented and the parish guild as a force for local activity was declining.[22] It was inequitable that clerical courts gave lighter sentences to the clergy especially when the cost of lay legal actions was so expensive. The abuse of selling indulgences (the remission of punishment due for a person’s sin after a priest had given absolution) had grown from a merit of a few days to a ludicrous 10,000 years in 1536.[23]
Dissatisfaction with aspects of Catholicism doesn’t fully explain the speed with which Protestantism was introduced in Box. There was an over-riding attitude of conformity in the late middle ages where order and stability were important; people were simply confused and exhausted, and too concerned with their daily life to protest.[24] An official visit by the bishop in 1553 recorded that the state of the church in the village was very poor and that there were no sermons or preaching by the minister in Box.[25] The poor standards of the clergy had lasted for a long time. In 1561 only 25 of 220 clerics were found to be learned in Latin; 15 unlearned (in writing) and 8 totally unlearned (reading and writing).[26]
And it was probably the unsatisfactory nature of the ministry in Box that caused people to accept Protestantism so willingly. Roman Catholicism had been rejected by most people in Box as early as 1567. The church became more organised and voluntary fundraising at Church Ales were replaced by parish rates and church pew incomes. Within 50 years it was realised that the theological consequences of the Reformation were only partly finished and the voices of common people were raised demanding more from the church in Box in 1603.[27] But that story is for a different issue.
Why did the churchwardens, the vicar and the people of Box accept the Reformation changes so easily? There is no evidence of a Puritan zeal in Box at this time or a commitment against Catholicism. There were massive uprisings in Devon and Cornwall in 1549 when the mass in Latin was abolished, which was put down ruthlessly with rioters exhibited throughout the West strung up on gallows.
Throughout Wiltshire, much of the early Reformation was reversed in Mary’s reign (1553-58); the situation was reversed again under Elizabeth, relatively rapidly and completely.[20] Nowhere was evangelising Puritanism evident or any attempt to revise the forms of religious observance such as the mass.
The first Book of Common Prayer of 1549 and its revision of 1552 were essentially translations of the Sarum Rite, a widely used Latin service dating from the 1200's, but with some continental influences particularly from Cologne. The rituals in Elizabeth's Chapels Royal were close to Roman usage, but choirs sang in English, which greatly advanced English music of the Tudor period. Calvinism, as promoted by John Knox in Scotland, with its fixation on punishment for sin, real or supposed, was noticeably absent. The half-way house, familiar rituals but in English and not too much condemnation, must have been just more comfortable to live
with! [21]
Most people probably realised that many of the old ways were becoming inappropriate. The payment of tithes had always been resented and the parish guild as a force for local activity was declining.[22] It was inequitable that clerical courts gave lighter sentences to the clergy especially when the cost of lay legal actions was so expensive. The abuse of selling indulgences (the remission of punishment due for a person’s sin after a priest had given absolution) had grown from a merit of a few days to a ludicrous 10,000 years in 1536.[23]
Dissatisfaction with aspects of Catholicism doesn’t fully explain the speed with which Protestantism was introduced in Box. There was an over-riding attitude of conformity in the late middle ages where order and stability were important; people were simply confused and exhausted, and too concerned with their daily life to protest.[24] An official visit by the bishop in 1553 recorded that the state of the church in the village was very poor and that there were no sermons or preaching by the minister in Box.[25] The poor standards of the clergy had lasted for a long time. In 1561 only 25 of 220 clerics were found to be learned in Latin; 15 unlearned (in writing) and 8 totally unlearned (reading and writing).[26]
And it was probably the unsatisfactory nature of the ministry in Box that caused people to accept Protestantism so willingly. Roman Catholicism had been rejected by most people in Box as early as 1567. The church became more organised and voluntary fundraising at Church Ales were replaced by parish rates and church pew incomes. Within 50 years it was realised that the theological consequences of the Reformation were only partly finished and the voices of common people were raised demanding more from the church in Box in 1603.[27] But that story is for a different issue.
References
[1] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol IV, p.275
[2] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXVIII, p.293
[3] JH Bettey, Suppression of the Monasteries in the West Country, 1989, Sutton Publishing Ltd, p.45
[4] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.267
[5] Wiltshire Record Society, Vol 56, p.43
[6] We are indebted to Martin Devon for these details
[7] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.266
[8] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XX, p.230, Appendix D
[9] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XX, p.230, Appendix D
[10] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.266-7
[11] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XV, p.261
[12] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXVIII, p.309
[13] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXVIII, p.309
[14] JH Bettey, Rural Life in Wessex: 1500 - 1900, 1989, Sutton Publishing Ltd, p.90
[15] Conrad Russell, The Origins of the English Civil War, 1973, Macmillan Press, p.146-150
[16] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700, 1994, Oxford University Press, p.74
[17] See St Thomas à Becket article
[18] Kindly contributed by Martin Devon
[19] JH Bettey, Suppression of Monasteries, p.133
[20] Kindly contributed by Martin Devon
[21] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England, p.103
[22] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England, p.78
[23] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXXVIII, p.33
[24] JH Bettey, Rural Life in Wessex, p.16
[25] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.30
[26] Martin Ingram, Church Courts, Sex and Marriage in England 1570-1640, 1987, Cambridge University Press, p.86
[27] Conrad Russell, The Origins of the English Civil War, p.22
[1] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol IV, p.275
[2] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXVIII, p.293
[3] JH Bettey, Suppression of the Monasteries in the West Country, 1989, Sutton Publishing Ltd, p.45
[4] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.267
[5] Wiltshire Record Society, Vol 56, p.43
[6] We are indebted to Martin Devon for these details
[7] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.266
[8] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XX, p.230, Appendix D
[9] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XX, p.230, Appendix D
[10] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.266-7
[11] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XV, p.261
[12] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXVIII, p.309
[13] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXVIII, p.309
[14] JH Bettey, Rural Life in Wessex: 1500 - 1900, 1989, Sutton Publishing Ltd, p.90
[15] Conrad Russell, The Origins of the English Civil War, 1973, Macmillan Press, p.146-150
[16] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700, 1994, Oxford University Press, p.74
[17] See St Thomas à Becket article
[18] Kindly contributed by Martin Devon
[19] JH Bettey, Suppression of Monasteries, p.133
[20] Kindly contributed by Martin Devon
[21] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England, p.103
[22] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England, p.78
[23] Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXXVIII, p.33
[24] JH Bettey, Rural Life in Wessex, p.16
[25] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol III, p.30
[26] Martin Ingram, Church Courts, Sex and Marriage in England 1570-1640, 1987, Cambridge University Press, p.86
[27] Conrad Russell, The Origins of the English Civil War, p.22