The dissolution of the monasteries as illustrated by the suppression of Staffordshire religious houses

What it is

This is a 1910 book by Francis Aidan Hibbert, titled The dissolution of the monasteries as illustrated by the suppression of the religious houses of Staffordshire. It is available as a scanned PDF from the Internet Archive. The scan was made from a library copy, so students are reading a digital copy of the printed book, not the original volume. The record lists subjects including monasteries and the state, and Henry VIII.

Why it matters

The dissolution of the monasteries was carried out under Henry VIII in the 1530s. Hibbert studies how it worked in one county, so the book shows how a national policy reached local communities. It helps students see the king's large reforms through specific places and houses.

Look closer

• How does focusing on one county change the picture of a national policy?
• Whose records does the author rely on, and which people in the monasteries are likely missing from them?
• Why might a 1910 author have chosen to study this topic, and how might that shape the argument?