Description

In 1536 King Henry VIII faced a major rebellion called The Pilgrimage of Grace in opposition to the religious changes being imposed by the king and his ministers The rebels based mainly in the north of England were particularly keen to defend the monasteries against the governments attempt to close them down This book tells the story of the struggle for Sawley Abbey on the border of Yorkshire and Lancashire near Clitheroe and how close Henry VIII came to a disastrous defeat there The involvement of other northern monasteries in the struggle to save Sawley at Whalley and Furness is also explored In his dealings with all three of these monasteries Henry enjoyed great fortune and a very narrow escape This is the story of how close these monasteries came to destroying Henry VIII and changing the entire course of English history