OFF TOPIC Monastic literature was Re: Download Research Shows Sales Unaffected

[M Holmes]

Jill Strobridge writes:

> Actually the monasteries made their enormous wealth from (1) wool and
> (2) donations of land for chantries (which in effect meant it was theirs
> for ever) which they either used to graze even more sheep or gave to
> others and just collected the rents.   Gradually wool became uneconomic
> (increasing tax burden - illness among sheep - high shipping costs to
> Europe - and ultimately war with Europe) and the King decided he could
> make much better use of the monasteries lands than they could, so around
> 1530 he confiscated the lot and then demolished the buildings to make
> sure they couldn't be reused.

Of course a break with the Pope over the issue of a divorce and the
perennialy empty treasury, due to a habit of our Kings conducting
expensive wars, may have had something to do with it.

FoFP