Agricultural History Review, Volume 70 Part 1 (2022), p. 133

Willmott’s book provides a useful overview of the archaeology of the Dissolution, and will be welcomed both by students and by scholars specializing in other aspects of the early modern period seeking an introduction to this topic.

The introduction sets out two aims: to counter a perceived bias in popular and academic writing on the Dissolution towards narratives of destruction, and to recover human agency. The characterization of traditional narratives of the Dissolution seems a little one-sided. Certainly, some writers have over-emphasized destruction, but the corrupt and greedy abbot is as much a stereotype of popular English history as the wanton destruction of monastic houses, and this aspect of the historiography is not discussed. Similarly, the fact that the Reformation, and thus Dissolution, are traditionally painted in a positive light in Whiggish narratives of progress is also ignored. The second aim, to examine human agency, is one which nearly all archaeologists set themselves in a work of this type; though to the extent that Willmott has moved away from top-down understandings towards examination of the motives of people in the shires and towns he has achieved it.

Having set out his aims Willmott provides a brief chapter of background information on monasticism in England before moving on to the main subject matter of the book in chapters three to seven. Each of these reviews a different part of the archaeological record.

Chapter 3 examines the initial dispersal of monastic movable goods and building materials, and thus broadly examines portable material culture. This is one of the book’s strongest chapters. Much of it is truly fascinating. The suggestion that the church was often chosen as the site for melting lead in order to desecrate it particularly interesting. This section would have benefited from some comparison with archaeologies of iconoclasm in contemporary parish churches. Willmott shows that the deconstruction of the monastic building was often a very well-ordered process, particularly those parts of it conducted by agents of the Crown. It is surprising that this was not examined in the context of the growth of state power in this period which would have helped place the Dissolution within post-medieval archaeological narratives. Likewise, Willmott brings together some interesting evidence for respectful treatment of human remains, and suggests that this was common. This would have benefitted from contextualization in terms of archaeological understandings of attitudes to the corpse and burial in the early modern period.

The next chapter addresses the dispersal of monastic real-estate. This is a vast subject, but Willmott provides a good overview. The discussion of how the gentry used monastic land to consolidate and extend their power locally, and to set up cadet branches is very useful. Likewise, examples of the gentry securing the tombs of their ancestors is interesting and adds to the discussion of the treatment of human remains in the previous chapter.

The next two chapters discuss the use of monastic buildings. Firstly, non-domestic uses are examined. This discussion begins with ecclesiastical reuse, both as cathedrals which continued in use with a Dean and Chapter replacing the monastic community, and as parish churches. Willmott suggests that scholarship has downplayed these uses because they do not fit the traditional narrative. This is unconvincing, as the phenomenon is a familiar one. An alternative, which is not examined, is that, as the Dissolution is a transition-period, medievalists may study the monastic phases of a site and neglect the post-medieval phases, whereas post-medievalists ignore monastic sites altogether as a medieval phenomenon. Nonetheless, the discussion of the archaeological evidence is excellent, and it is very useful to have the material drawn together. The success of parish communities in defending their rights against their social superiors is revealed, which is interesting in light of the contemporary defence of secular rights of manorial tenants. Willmott then explores secular uses, and reveals a great variety of these. The creation of schools and almshouses is familiar, but the examples of use of monastic sites for courts, town halls, prisons and industry and the reuse of monastic water management systems is perhaps more unexpected. Willmott’s suggestion that burgesses may have felt some ownership of houses that they had patronized is particularly interesting.

A further chapter is devoted to domestic uses. As Willmott notes such uses are underappreciated. Consequently, this synthesis is very valuable. The discussion of the highest-status houses draws strongly on Maurice Howard, which is then placed in context by discussion of evidence for more modest houses and farms. One of the most interesting features of this chapter is the discussion of the treatment of monastic churches by different owners for personal and political reasons, which really goes to the heart of the human agency issue raised in the introduction. Finally, a chapter examines the landscape gardens which surrounded these houses, where the symbolic uses of monastic ruins is a particularly interesting aspect.

Overall, Willmott’s valuable work drawing together and summarizing the archaeology of the Dissolution is let down somewhat by the aims that he set himself, and particularly the perceived traditional narrative which he is criticizing. Despite this some really important observations are made on the treatment of the church building, of human remains, the ability of the state to carry out an orderly process of asset stripping across the country, and the use by the gentry of monastic sites for symbolic/political purposes. One wonders if more could have been achieved if the book had instead been built around such themes. Nonetheless, if Willmott’s book stimulates work on any or all of these subjects, he will have made a valuable contribution.