Closure of the Monateries

The monks were a threat to Henry. He needed to close the monasteries to get his hands on the land and wealth of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. Henry sent out “investigators” to report on MONKS BEHAVING BADLY! And there were plenty of examples of Monks disobeying their vows including pregnant nuns, gambling and even highway robbery!

However Monasteries had played a big part in some areas as schools, hospitals and places of prayer and retreat. By closing the monasteries Henry had to fill the gap he left, one of the ways he tried to do this was by starting our school in 1542.

Find out more about Why our School is named after Henry VIII.