16th century Cornish historian, Richard Carew, marvelled at the way in which ‘the golden shower of the dissolved abbey lands rained well-near into every gaper’s mouth. Among those with open mouths eager to receive this monastic bounty in the Bath area was William Crouch. Bettey provides insight into one the most unscrupulous men of this era, who seized the opportunity of the sale of monastic property to amass huge wealth.
Tag: Henry VIII
Urban Oligarchy, Conflict and Concealment: Religion, Politics and Society in late 16th-Century Bath
The Reformation of English towns has provided an attractive field of research for scholars in recent decades, yet Bath’s Tudor experience has been persistently overlooked. In the late sixteenth century two events disturbed the religious and social equilibrium of the city: the attempted amalgamation of the inner-city parishes, and an inquisition into alleged concealed lands. These events had profound immediate and long-term social, political and religious repercussions. In this article, Emma Corker highlights the significance of these events, which have often been overlooked by those interested in Reformation history.
From Norway to Narroways: A Short History of Narroways Hill in St Werburghs, Bristol
Narroways Hill is the southernmost outlier of the Purbeck Ridge in N.E. Bristol. It is a hundred foot high hill composed of red Keuper Marl – a sticky red limey mud-stone. Once the entire region was covered by oakwoods. Harry McPhillimy looks at the long history of this historic place, and its role in the development of the Great Western Railway.
From imitation to innovation: The art and industry of Bristol Glass manufacture in the Long eighteenth century.
The period between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries in the city and county of Bristol, in particular the long eighteenth century (roughly 1660 to 1830), witnessed a great transformation in the character and history of luxury glass.
Documents in Context: A fifteenth-century Bristol ordinance concerning aliens.
This is the first in an occasional series in which a document relating to the history of Bristol and its region is reproduced and discussed. The aim is to provide discussion points, not to provide the last word on the issues raised. Peter Fleming investigates a number of sources relating to the growing population of 'non-Bristolians' migrating to the city, and how they were perceived.