The Religion of the Yorkshire Gentry, 1531–1553: The Evidence of Wills

Abstract

Using the evidence of wills, this paper focuses on the religion of the Yorkshire gentry from 1531 to 1553. It is primarily based on 92 testaments, which have not been studied in detail before, for evidence of the reactions of Yorkshire’s gentry to the Henrician and Edwardian Reformations. Whilst the majority remained committed to the old religion — which commanded much loyalty due in part to the coexistence it allowed between privatised and communal forms of worship — there was a reformed minority amongst this group. The Henrician and Edwardian Reformations eroded the traditional religious landscape by three means: silence being imposed on committed Catholics by top-down governmental reforms; practical, pragmatic reformers collaborating with the Tudor government in pursuit of material gain; and the ideological allure of the New Learning. Whilst the watchword was conservatism in religious matters for most of these testators, the Reformation still made some notable headway amongst a few.