The disposal of the property of monastic houses, with a special study of Holy Trinity Aldgate.

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the disposal by the Crown of the monastic property in the city of London and its suburbs which came into royal possession at the dissolution of the houses concerned. The period covered extends from 1532, the year in which the first London house was dissolved, to the death of Henry VIII in 1547, by which date the bulk of the property had been alienated; but occasional reference is made to subsequent transactions. The property studied comprises that of both monasteries situated in London and. those elsewhere in England, and while attention is focussed upon land and buildings used for secular purposes the disposal of monastic sites and of spiritual income receives some notice. The results of the investigation are presented in two parts, one particular and the other general. Part I, a detailed study of the first house to be dissolved, the priory of Holy Trinity, Aldgate, includes, besides four chapters dealing with the Crown's management and disposal of its property, three others furnishing a background to its surrender and examining the surrender itself. In these some light is thrown upon the circumstances and motives of the episode, including the roles of Cromwell and Audley. Part II begins with a survey of all monastic property in the area and an estimate of its annual value. Succeeding chapters examine three aspects of the processes of disposals the purchase of large quantities of the property by operators on a large scale, and, where known, its subsequent handling by them; the transfer, by gift or lease, of many smaller parcels to servants and officers of the Crown; and the impact of such transactions upon a single London parish, that of St. Mary le Bow.