What happened to the monks, their orders and the communities they served after Henry VIII's break with Rome in 1536? In THE LAST OFFICE Geoffrey Moorhouse reveals how the Dissolution of the Monasteries affected the great Benedictine priory at Durham, drawing for his sources on material that has lain forgotten in the recesses of one of our great cathedrals. The quarrel between Henry VIII and the papacy not only gave birth to the Church of England but heralded the destruction of the 650 or so religious houses that played a central role in the spiritual and economic life of the nation. Durham proved to be the exception. On New Year's Eve 1539, the monks sang the last compline. Next morning the priory and its community were surrendered into the hands of the King's commissioners. But then nothing happened. An interregnum lasted 16 months before the priory was reborn as the new cathedral church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin, part of the new Church of England. The Prior became the Dean and 12 monks were retained as prebendaries. In Geofrey Moorhouse's original and absorbing study, one of the great catalytic events of our past comes alive through the personalities and events at one key monastery.
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Review
'Geoffrey Moorhouse is always a delight to read' (INDEPENDENT )
'Erudite and highly readable' (HUDDERSFIELD DAILY EXAMINER )
'His [Moorhouse's] orginal and absorbing study of this period of transition for Durham is a tour de force.' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )
'Erudite and highly readable' (HUDDERSFIELD DAILY EXAMINER )
'His [Moorhouse's] orginal and absorbing study of this period of transition for Durham is a tour de force.' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )
LITERARY REVIEW
"Geoffrey Moorhouse's highly readable and often surprising book is a kind of historical love-letter to Durham Cathedral... Moorhouse knows his way around the sixteenth-century and elegantly recounts the background tot he dissolution and its immediate consequences."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Tudor England interests me only because it is the backdrop for Stuart England. Trawling through text books for hints at events that might influence the seventeenth century mind-set can be dull indeed. Not so with this book. I don't want to give too much away by telling you what interested me the most but I will say this thorough investigation about how the religious industry worked and how it was dismantled; not only physically but also morally, left me aghast at the almost Machiavellian (insert Cromwellian if you like) destruction of a religious way of life. This, written in a style that is so easily read and comprehended and almost at the pace of a page turner novel, is a wonderful way to understand the foundations of British protestantism.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Lynette Baines
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This is the story of the monks of Durham Priory & their fate when Henry VIII split with Rome over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon & created the Church of England. The Dissolution of the Monasteries was a complete break with religious life as it had been lived for hundreds of years. Henry & his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, were eager to get their hands on the riches of the Church & to have complete control on the religious life of the nation. Small monasteries & nunneries were broken up & the monks & nuns pensioned off or sent to other houses. Gradually it was time for the larger priories such as Durham to be transformed from Catholic communities into Anglican cathedrals with priests rather than monks. Moorhouse describes the life of the Priory before the Dissolution & how the Bishop of Durham & the Prior guided the monks in their care towards an accommodation with the new order.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Mike Davey
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
We visited Durham Cathedral last Summer and I noticed this book in the cathedral bookshop. I am also generally interested in the Reformation in Europe and this book was one I had planned to buy for some time. I found it to be one of the best history books I have ever read. The author cleverly interweaves the general development of the Reformation in this country with specific detail of life and events unfolding in Durham. It is a fascinating tale, superbly told. I also found the footnotes very helpful and not at all an interruption to the narrative because they add welcome additional information.
Listmania!
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