Given for The Churches Conservation Trust on June 4, 2020
Overview: When we think of the pre-Reformation parish church, prior to King Henry VIII’s supposed “stripping of the altars”, the image conjured is often of an arena of visual delights; filled to the brim with all the smells and bells of traditional Catholicism—a highly sensory type of worship that offered attractions to the eyes and ears, above all. This stands in sharp contrast to the often austere, suppressed perspective of sixteenth-century Protestantism, with its focus on the Word of God through text, prayer-books, and vernacular scripture. We tend to think of the post-Reformation parish church as an austere devotional environment, devoid of the images, relics, incense, music, vestments, tastes, and textures of late-medieval religion. But, how true is this picture? And was Henry VIII, who we love to blame for the changing of our church in the sixteenth century, really the perpetrator? This lecture will unravel the reality of his role—and who might actually be responsible.
The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered UK charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. Click here to visit her website or follow them on Twitter @TheCCT
Top Image: Henry VIII depicted in a 16th century manuscript – British Library MS Egerton 2572 fol. 8
Did Henry VIII really ‘break’ the Church?
Lecture by Emma Wells
Given for The Churches Conservation Trust on June 4, 2020
Overview: When we think of the pre-Reformation parish church, prior to King Henry VIII’s supposed “stripping of the altars”, the image conjured is often of an arena of visual delights; filled to the brim with all the smells and bells of traditional Catholicism—a highly sensory type of worship that offered attractions to the eyes and ears, above all. This stands in sharp contrast to the often austere, suppressed perspective of sixteenth-century Protestantism, with its focus on the Word of God through text, prayer-books, and vernacular scripture. We tend to think of the post-Reformation parish church as an austere devotional environment, devoid of the images, relics, incense, music, vestments, tastes, and textures of late-medieval religion. But, how true is this picture? And was Henry VIII, who we love to blame for the changing of our church in the sixteenth century, really the perpetrator? This lecture will unravel the reality of his role—and who might actually be responsible.
Emma Wells is a Lecturer, Programme Director and Research Associate at the University of York. Click here to visit her website or follow her on Twitter @Emma_J_Wells
The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered UK charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. Click here to visit her website or follow them on Twitter @TheCCT
Top Image: Henry VIII depicted in a 16th century manuscript – British Library MS Egerton 2572 fol. 8
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