The Human Cost of the Dissolution

On this day in Tudor history, 23 October 1538, a frightened monk put pen to paper as the world he knew collapsed.

Thomas Goldwell, prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, wrote a desperate letter to Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief adviser and the man overseeing the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Goldwell begged to keep his “poor lodging” for life, adding the heartbreaking words:

“I would rather die than live, if it were God’s pleasure.”

I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today I’ll take you inside that moment, when monasteries were being dissolved, fortunes seized, and centuries of service, learning, and charity wiped away in a few short years.

Goldwell’s letter shows us the human side of the Reformation.
Behind every confiscated abbey and looted shrine was a person left wondering how to live in a changed world.

If you found this glimpse of Tudor faith, fear, and survival moving, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more daily Tudor stories.

Watch next:
The Dissolution of the Monasteries - https://youtu.be/aELw2ss-xM8

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