This site is designed to bring to life the intriguing story of the Abbot of Norton Abbey who was arrested and almost executed during the reign of King Henry VIII. Follow the characters and explore the story using the timeline below.
We hope that you find this interesting, we've really enjoyed putting it together. Please do get in contact if you have any questions for us.
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Today Norton Priory Museum & Gardens is a visitor attraction in Runcorn Cheshire.
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1500
1509: Henry VIII becomes king
Monasteries & Men
In the early sixteenth century, the monastic houses in played a significant role in Tudor society, providing spiritual, financial and educational support for the local community. Approximately one man in fifty was in a religious order.
The close relationship between monasteries and everyday life is believed to have been particularly strong in the North-West, such as Cheshire, where the rural landscape promoted tight local bonds and a resilience to change.
It is unsurprising, then, that the region was unprepared for, and unwilling to accept, the significant changes brought about by Henry VIII, when he announced the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536.
The North-West was viewed by those in the south as a conservative and devout county; some 50-years behind the times of the progressive communities in the capital. It is thus unsurprising that the region was unprepared for, and unwilling to accept, the religious and social changes brought about by Henry VIII, when he announced the dissolution of the smaller monasteries in 1536.
1536: North-west unrest
In 1536 the decision was taken to close the small monasteries (those earning less than £200 a year), with the Crown taking their land and expensive possessions. This process was known as the dissolution. Men tasked with the dissolution procedures for the North-West were appointed on 24th April 1536, and they began their travels across the various monastic houses in early May 1536. The purpose of these visits was to assess the finances of the smaller monasteries, reallocating or releasing the religious men, and seizing goods and items of value, such as plate and jewels.
The impending closure of the monasteries caused great anxiety amongst the conservative, devoutly Catholic community; in part, arising from the economic uncertainty of lands moving from monastic to monarchic hands. It seems likely that the close social ties between monks and the common people provoked widespread discontent.
Sir Piers Dutton reports to Cromwell that he has taken into his custody the Abbot of Norton and other men affiliated with the Abbey, although he offers no explanation for his actions in this letter. Having reported this news, he then asks if Cromwell would permit Dom Rondul of Wilmslow, a monk at Vale Royal, to become master of 'that house', with a promise that the monk will fulfil a promise previously discussed.
Please it your
good mastership
my duty remember this to
advertise you that I have taken
the bodies
of the abbot
of Norton, Robert Jannyns, and
the stranger a cunning
[Black]smith, [and] two of the said abbott’s servants. Also Randle Brereton,
baron of the king’s exchequer of Chester, and John Hale
of Chester, merchant, and have them in my custody and
keeping / And the rest I intend to have as speedily as
I can and to be with you with them
(god willing)
in all
convenient speed as I possibly may. Moreover I have
caused
dan
Rondul [of] Wilmslow
, the monk of the Vale
Royal to come up to you
/
for whom I spoke unto your good
mastership,
which
is a good religious man, discrete and
well-grounded in learning and hath many good qualities,
most apt to be a master of a religious house than any
other monk of that house. Wherefore it may please your good
mastership to be his good master towards his preferment, [and] that
he may be admitted master of the same
And that [matter which] I
did promise your mastership this said Moncke will accomplish
accordingly.
Wherefore I beseech your mastership that this
bearer
and the said monk may report unto you
from time to time to know your pleasure therein.
Ensuring
you what ye
do for me or my friend all
is your own, as knoweth our lord god
who
mercifully
preserve you. [Written] At Dutton the 3rd day of August
By yours, assured
Perus.
Dutton K.
Addressed
To the right honorable
and his especial good
master Cromwell
Secretary unto our sovereign
Lord the King
Listen to this letter:
October 1536: Uprisings in the North
In October 1536 the common-people of the North-West rebelled against King Henry VIII and the local gentry serving in his interests. They began arming themselves in the first week of the month, which led Thomas, Lord Darcy, a local gentry man and soldier, to write to Henry and ask for a postal organisation to be set-up to allow swift communication between Lancashire and London, to allow the potential rebellion to be dealt with effectively. The rumblings in the North-West paralleled events in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, where rebels rose in protestation against religious and social reform; an event known as 'The Pilgrimage of Grace'.
Sir Piers Dutton writes to Sir Thomas Audeley to inform him that the Abbott and Canons of Norton had gathered 200–300 persons and threatened to attack the King's commissioners. He has taken the Abbott and three of his Canons into custody.
Trusty and well-beloved
we
greet you well / And have as well seen
the Letters written from you
Sir Piers of Dutton
/ to our right trusty and
well-beloved Counsellor Sir Thomas Audley, knight, [and] our Chancellor of
England, declaring the traitorous demeanour of
the late Abbot and canons
of the Monastery of Norton / used at the being there of our Commissioners for
the suppression thereof / and your wisdom, policy, and good endeavours used
for the apprehension of the same / for the which we give unto you our
right hearty thanks, and shall undoubtedly consider your faithful service
therein, to your singular rejoice and comfort hereafter / As other Letters
written from you
Sir William Brereton
to our right trusty and well-beloved councillor,
the Lord Cromwell, keeper of
our Privy Seal
, touching the same
matter / For your good endeavours also, wherein we give unto you our right hearty
thanks / For answer whereunto, you shall understand / that for as much
as it
appeareth
that the said Late Abbot and canons have most traito
traitorously used themselves against us / and our realm / and moved
insurrection against the common quiet of the same / Our
pleasure
and commandment
is
^ that if this shall appear to ?? you
^ ??????esse? ^
[to be?] true that then ^
you shall immediately upon the sight hereof
without any manner of
^ of further circust[ııı??ıs?] of law or^
delay cause them to be ^ ???d
indicted and straight
thereupon arraigned and so without further traet put all to execution hanged
as most arrant traitors /
^ in such sundry places as ye shall think requisite ^
setting up their heads and quarters round
abo[ut the] country for the
terrible example
of all others hereafter /
And herein fail you not to travail with such dexterity as this matter
may be finished with all possible diligence.
['Given under our signet at our Castle of Windsor
the xxth of October the xxviiith year of our reign, anno 1536']
Addressed: ['To our trusty and well-beloved servant Sir Pearse Dutton and Sir William Brearton, Knights, and to every of them]
Listen to this letter:
1537: The Abbott is released
Although it was popularly held that the abbot of Norton was executed, the historical records suggest that William Brereton cancelled the order, in light of the rebellions being quelled throughout the North, particularly the Pilgrimage of Grace in Yorkshire. Letters between Thomas Audley and Thomas Cromwell, and William Brereton to Cromwell suggest that the abbot was released in 1537.
The End of the Monasteries and the Rise of (States)Men
Towards the end of February 1537, a royal Commission was dispatched to the North-West to investigate those responsible for the rebellion, and to punish them accordingly. The commission collected numerous depositions from gentry and commons alike, as well as putting out an oath, swearing loyalty to the king, which was sworn by over 1000 commons and the majority of local gentry. Executions of the rebellion's ringleaders began in early March, including a number of abbots and monks from various Abbeys and priories across the county. Many monks from the smaller houses were moved to larger monasteries, or entered secular life, receiving a pension, and working a clerics or teachers.
Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the Crown and the local gentry benefitted from the acquisition of the old monastic lands. Thomas Cromwell gained the lease for the lands of Furness Abbey - although this financial coup ended with his execution in 1540. One local man, Thomas Holcroft, saw substantial benefits; his local and court connections enabled him to acquire Vale Royal Abbey, as well as friaries in Lancashire. Holcroft's deputy John Braddyll also purchased ex-monastic lands, including lands at Norton and Vale Royal. Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, did not acquire any land; despite his service to the king and his role in quelling the rebellion in southern Lancashire and north Cheshire, he was not part of the inner circle of the Court and received no free grants of lands (as did Cromwell, for example) and he was in too much debt to purchase them outright. (Haigh 1969: 135-6).
2014...
Living Letters provides only one part of the narrative surrounding the history, language and correspondence of the early sixteenth century. To find out more about these topics, please explore some of the options below.
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Bess of Hardwick's Letters Bess of Hardwick, although only a teenager during the 1536 uprisings, would become the second-most powerful woman in Tudor England, after Queen Elizabeth I. Learn more about her life and her letters here.
Dating Historical Letters
Letter writers were not always precise with their dates which makes it difficult to be wholly confident about when exactly they were written, or even in what order.
Rules and conventions governed the selection of titles and names used by a letter-writer to address their recipient (as they still do, today). Choice reveals the relationship between the letter writer and the addressee.
Meaning 'person' or 'one's self', rather than 'dead bodies' - which would be the more probable modern interpretation. This sense of bodies survives in legal phrases 'body and goods'. (OED Online)
"Stranger"
This word had a number of senses in EME: a foreigner, a new arrival, a guest or vistor in a household, an unknown person or a person not of one's kin or friendship network (OED Online). It's not clear which meaning is intended here. What is interesting is the use of the definite article 'the stranger', which suggests he is (contradictorily, if going with the PDE sense) known to Dutton and Cromwell. This implies perhaps the sense of a new arrival or a guest or visitor, who has been at Norton for a while, rather than someone completely unknown.
Speech & writing
Parenthetical or 'aside' - evocative of more spoken language. The phrase was a translation of Latin deo volente.
"dan"
dan is a respectful title, equivalent to 'Sir' or 'Master'. It was particularly common to refer to those of religious orders (as here). It was adopted into English from Old French 'dan', and survives in the modern-day form 'dom', used with the same meaning, in Portugese/Brazilian-Portugese. (OED Online)
Dan Rondull Wilmslow
dan Rondull Wilmyslow: Monk appointed to Vale Royal, at Dutton's request, in June 1536 (or 1534) after death of previous abbot. Now Dutton seeks his appointment at Norton too.
'Virgule'
This is an Early Modern punctuation symbol, used to mark the end of a phrase. It was replaced by the comma.
Relative Pronouns
In Modern English, we have different forms depending on whether the thing being referred to is alive (who) or inanimate (which). In the sixteenth century this system was not yet in place with 'which' being used for humans as well as inanimate objects.
'Seid' is used here in the sense 'the aforementioned', 'the one referred to previously/above'. Given the length of the letter, this precision of reference is quite striking, but is a feature typical of administrative and legal language, in which specificity and accuracy was paramount.
Letter delivery
'Bearer' refers to the deliver of the letter. Before the establishment of a formal post system, letter writers had to find their own means of sending letters, commonly via friends or using acquaintances who were travelling to the same destination. Bearers were often entrusted to verbally deliver further information to the recipient.
Pronoun change
In Sixteenth Century English there were two forms of the pronoun you: 'you' and 'ye'. Originally they marked different grammatical cases but by the 1530s 'you' was beginning to dominate in all contexts. This sentence loosely means "I am telling you that what you do is your own choice".
'Who' was a new relative pronoun, which contributed to the development of animacy marking in the English relative system (i.e. showing what's alive and what isn't). The example here reflects the origins of the 'who' form which was first used to refer to God in correspondence.
The closing address 'by yours assured', is quite brief. Normally we would expect the relationship between writer and addressee to be specified. This could indicate confidence on Dutton's part, both in his relationship with Cromwell, and in the persuasiveness of his letter.
Sir Piers Dutton was a landowner and Justice of the Peace in Cheshire. He wrote many letters to Thomas Cromwell, suggesting that he was motivated by the power & money that could arise through connections with the King.
Royal letters
The structure of the letter is typical of scribal correspondence attributed to the monarch. To reflect Henry VIII's superior status, and also that the letter is drafted by a secretary, this is stated at the top of the sheet 'By the king'. This prefaces any opening address forms to the intended readers.
This letter use the royal 'we', which was the use of the first-person plural to represent the (singular) monarch e.g. 'our', 'we'. This was a common feature in scribal monarchic letters which helped to give the letter authority and authenticity. The Royal We is still used today, although it tends to be more of a 'Presidential we' used by figures such as Margaret Thatcher.
Spelling inconsistencies
Spelling in the Sixteenth Century was highly variable, even for peoples' names. Despite Piers Dutton signing his name 'Perus' in the letter to Cromwell, the scribe uses both 'Piers' and 'Pearse'.
Like many monastic houses in this period, the Abbots of Norton were reportedly guilty of some inappropriate activities. A 1522 inquiry found that various illegal practices had taken place, including the Abbot fathering a child with a club-foot.
Sir William Brereton
Sir William was another local nobleman and landowner. He seems to have had a tempestuous relationship with Sir Piers Dutton.
Royal Seal
Thomas Cromwell was appointed 'Keeper of the Privy Seal' in July 1536, a highly prestigious position. The 'Privy Seal' was the king's personal seal, which was applied to documents to authenticate their contents, and was thus a position of considerable trust.
The king's scribe uses the suffix '-eth', a form that was replaced over the course of the sixteenth century with the suffix '-s'. If written today, the expression would be: "it appears that".
The second-half of the letter outlines the king's commands. These are explicitly linked to the king's personal will: 'our pleasure and commandment is that', using a semi-formulaic expression found elsewhere in Henry's scribal letters. Orders given to Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, also linked to Northern uprisings, use a comparable phrase: 'Our pleasure and commandment is, that upon the receipt hereof ye shall so prepare yourself '.
This manuscript is not the letter that was sent to Cheshire. It's actually a draft of the text, and the number of corrections, crossings-out and insertions in the second-half of the letter are typical of this stage in the letter-writing process. The question marks shown here are illegible additions. Once the letter was approved it would be re-written to be sent.
Draft letters provide a valuable insight into the letter-writing process. The modifications to the draft generally tone down and generalise the instructions. King Henry VIII could have dictated the letter in one of his infamous rages before he, or his secretaries, made the revisions to achieve a calmer, more controlled tone.
Execution
The punishments of the abbots and monks involved in the uprising were often severe. Although the King's commission acquitted some North-West canons, others were imprisoned and many were put to death by hanging and hanging in chains. The execution of the Abbot of Whalley was described as "a spectacle and terror to all others".
The sheer volume of royal correspondence required to maintain contact and convey information across the realm meant it had long been impractical for the monarch to personally write all his letters. Instead, secretaries were appointed to draft and write the bulk of official correspondence, which was later authenticated by the king's signature and seal
Sir Piers Dutton reports to Cromwell that he has taken into his custody the Abbot of Norton and other men affiliated with the Abbey, although he offers no explanation for his actions in this letter. Having reported this news, he then asks if Cromwell would permit Dom Rondul of Wilmslow, a monk at Vale Royal, to become master of 'that house', with a promise that the monk will fulfil a promise previously discussed.
The letter is dated 3rd August - it was fairly typical in the sixteenth century not to include the year of composition, which means that dating is based on contextual information. There appears to be no record of a serious revolt amongst the abbot and canons at Norton in the summer of 1536, although this was the time when Henry VIII's commissioners were travelling through the North-West investigating the activities of the monasteries and collating information on their land and other means of income.
This is not the first letter, nor the last, that Sir Piers Dutton would write to Cromwell. The series of correspondence may reflect Dutton's attempts to gain favour from Henry VIII's chief administrator. [see earlier letters; link]. There is no record of Cromwell's reply.
Correspondence provided the primary means of communicating with Cromwell, and to report the loyal actions undertaken by his provincial servants. Dutton was not the only man who sought Cromwell's favour through these channels. Robert Pyle, abbot of Furness Abbey in Cumbria, wrote to Cromwell to inform him that he had arrested and interrogated a monk named Gawain Borrodale from Holme Cultram, who was suspected of murdering his own abbot, and also arrested a Scottish man suspected of potentially treasonous knowledge. In doing so, Pyle sought Cromwell's support of his own abbey and livelihood, including sending him ten royals to incentivise Cromwell's inventions with the King, when required. (see Haigh 1969: 19).
Address forms
Formulaic rules governed the selection of titles and names (as they do, to a lesser degree, today). The voice reveals the relationship between the letter writer and the addressee.
Opening Address
Dutton uses title: 'good mastership' as formal title of address to Thomas Cromwell, who was chief secretary to King Henry VIII from 1530-1540. This title was used to address Professional men (i.e. not nobility), and is used by other letterwriters to Cromwell:
William Brereton, 1533: Sir
Edward Stanley, 1536 [Cromwell Lord Privy Seal]: My vere good Lord
Edward Stanley, 1533: Maister Cromwell
Edward Stanley, 1536 [Privy Seal]: My vere good Lord
Thomas Elyot, 1528: Master Crumwell
Main body address
The letter contains frequent nominal address forms, using the same formula as the opening address: 'gud mastership' (x 3) and 'your mastership' (x 2). Frequent use of formal address indicates deference - particularly given Dutton is asking Cromwell to appoint a particular monk, for Dutton's own (economic) benefit.
Thomas Elyot, 1532a: Sir
Thomas More, 1534: good Maister Cromwell
Alice More 1535: your gud Mastershypp
Thomas Frysby, 1530s: your good Mastership
Thomas Wyatt, 1536: your Maistershipp
Relative Pronouns
In Present Day English, we use different forms of relative pronoun depending on whether the thing being referred to is alive (who) or inanimate (which). In sixteenth century, this system was only just beginning to develop: which is why we find 'whiche [the monk] is a gud religious man'. There is an example of who, but this is used to refer to God 'our lord god who mercifully' . This reflects the origins of the who form, with God - as the entity at the top of the social hierarchy/Chain of Being - first getting an 'animate' relative marker. Over the next one hundred years, this would diffuse outwards to other types of animate being, including humans. If the letter had been written the following century, it is highly likely that the scribe would have used 'who' to refer to the monk.
Second Person Pronouns
Early Modern second-person pronouns were comparable to those in Modern Day French, with a choice of forms available to reflect the speaker's relationship with the addressee. You and Ye were used between social equals in 'polite society', and by social inferiors to their superiors. The alternative set of forms, Thou/Thee were used to address social inferiors, as well as to indicate intimacy. The You/Thou system lasted into the 18th century, before Thou fell from use - although it is preserved today in many English regional dialects.
In this letter, Dutton uses You throughout, which is appropriate for his status and the recipient. There is one occurrence of Ye, an equivalent to You, which was used for grammatical, rather than interpersonal, reasons. Ye would disappear from English by the end of the 16th century, and Dutton's generation were one of the last to use the You/Ye distinction.
Closing Salutation Address:
The closing address 'by yours assured' is quite brief, as normally we would expect the relationship between writer and addressee to be specified (e.g. Wyatt, 1536, below). This could indicate confidence on Dutton's part, both in his relationship with Cromwell, and in the persuasiveness of his letter.
Other examples in letters to Cromwell:
William Brereton, 1533: Yours to that lyttyll he mey.
Thomas Elyot, 1532a: By him that loveth you
Thomas Elyot, 1532b: By yours assurid
Stephen Gardiner, 1532: Your loving and assured frende
Stephen Gardiner, 1535: Your assured frende
"By the king"
The structure of the letter is typical of scribal correspondence attributed to the monarch. To reflect Henry VIII's superior status, and also that the letter is drafted by a secretary, this is stated at the top of the sheet 'By the king'. This prefaces any opening address forms to the intended readers. Note also the formulaic opening expression 'Trusty and welbeloved we gret you wel', which signalled respect but not necessarily a legitimate emotional connection between writer and recipient.
The Royal 'We'
Spelling: Name inconsistency
The author of the letter to Cromwell is generally referred to in the history books as Piers Dutton. However, the signature on this letter offers a different spelling: Perus Dutton. This seems to have been Piers' preferred spelling, for his autograph at least. However, in the sixteenth century, preference counted for little and personal names - like other elements of English spelling - were variable and fluid. In the letter from Henry VIII, Piers is spelled both Piers and Pearse; but not Perus. Dutton is not alone in his inconstant naming: Shakespeare famously spelled his name three or four different ways, and none of them in the form we now use today.
Royal Seal
For the letter to Dutton and Brereton, it is likely that the Great Seal was used to authenticate the letter. The Great Seal was used for official documents, such as warrants, and was held by the Lord Chancellor (in 1536, this was Thomas Audley). As with the king's private seal, the Great Seal was used to authenticate the contents of a document and signify the king's consent. The seal would be made from wax, poured into a carved mould, with a ribbon or paper strip running through the middle. This would then be affixed to the document in question. There were three seal designs during Henry's reign, each update reflecting the changes in the King's political and religious power.
Changing grammar
The king's scribe uses a verbal suffix '-eth' that is no longer found in Present-Day English. The modern day equivalent is '-s' e.g. it appears that, although '-eth' is sometimes associated with more formal, perhaps religious language.
The change took place during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with '-s' originating in the northern parts of the country and diffusing south. Although Henry VIII seems to have used the older, traditional form, his youngest daughter Elizabeth I was at the head of this linguistic trend, using both -s and -eth in her earliest writings from the mid-1540s.
Royal expression vs. meaning
The second-half of the letter outlines the king's commands. These are explicitly linked to the king's personal will: 'our pleasure and commandment is that', using a semi-formulaic expression found elsewhere in Henry's scribal letters. In a letter written to Henry Clifford in response to the uprisings in Yorkshire, the letter asserts: 'And for the more extreme punishment of these rebels in case they shall continue in this their rebellion, our pleasure is that you shall with your forces make excurses upon such persons as be notable actors and doers in the same'. Orders given to Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, use a comparable phrase: 'Our pleasure and commandment is, that upon the receipt hereof ye shall so prepare yourself '.
Once the order to execute the abbot and canons is outlined, the letter concludes by emphasising the recipients' duty to fulfil the king's wishes: 'fail you not to travail [work] with such dexterity'. The consequences for failure are left unstated, but one assumes Dutton and Brereton could infer what they might be. In the letter to Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby (mentioned above), the letter goes a little bit further in stating the risks of failure: 'And hereof fail ye not, as we specially trust you. And as for the contrary or your slackness herein, as ye will answer at your extreme peril'.
Drafts, Sent Copies and Transcription
The manuscript of the letter to Dutton and Brereton is not the letter than was sent to Cheshire. Instead, the letter is a draft of the text to be sent, and the number of corrections, crossings-out and insertions in the second-half of the letter are typical of this stage in the letter-writing process. Only once the text had been approved, perhaps by the King himself or by his privy councillors, would the letter be written on a fresh sheet of paper (known as the fair copy) and sent to the recipients. The closing sentence, given the location and date, is not given on the draft - presumably to allow for variation in the duration of composition.
Draft letters were often kept by the letter-writer for their personal records, and this was particularly relevant for the administration of the Crown, given the considerable volume of correspondence issued in the King's name. This explains why this letter has survived and is now held at the National Archives.
Draft letters provide a valuable insight into the letter-writing process. The draft letter to Dutton and Brereton shows that the original instruction for the execution was more specific, stating that the abbot and canons should be put through the hearing process and, with no extra fuss, executed immediately. Post-execution, the 'head and quarters' should be displayed as a lesson to other individuals thinking of rebelling. The modifications to the draft generally tone down and generalise the instructions. It is tempting to imagine that Henry dictated the letter in one of his infamous rages (this letter being one of several written in late October in response to the uprisings in the North), before he, or his secretaries, made the revisions to achieve a calmer, more controlled tone.
Execution
Since the 14th century, the noun execution has denoted capital punishment, although not through any one specific method, as this citation demonstrates: "R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. xxxvii. f. xiiiiv, To be put to dethe..by heddynge, fleynge, brennynge, & other cruell Execucyons" (OED Online). The word is slightly euphemistic, with execution also have the contemporary (and still current) sense of 'the action of carrying into effect'.
The punishments of the abbots and monks involved in the uprising were often severe. Although the King's commission acquitted some North-West canons, some were imprisoned and others were put to death by hanging and hanging in chains. The execution of the Abbot of Whalley was intended to 'be a spectacle and terror to all other corrupt minds hereafter' (the Earl of Suffolk, cited in Haigh 1969: 90). It seems likely that Henry VIII's instruction to Dutton and Brereton was given with the intention of similar effect: to dissuade other potential rebels and demonstrate the king's power within the county.
Scribal practices & dictation
The sheer volume of royal correspondence required to maintain contact and convey information across the realm meant that it had long been impractical for the monarch to personally write letters. Instead, secretaries were appointed to draft and write the bulk of official correspondence, which was later authenticated by the king's signature and seal [see image right].
Letter-writing was a collaborative process, involving many individuals, and there were three main methods: dictation, notes and instruction, or a template/model letter. Identification of methods is tricky, although the corrections and insertions found in the letter to Dutton and Brereton suggest fairly spontaneous and ad hoc composition compatible with dictation methods.
Sir William Brereton
Sir William Brereton, knight, was appointed deputy chamberlain of Chester in 1536, a role he combined with membership on the Irish council, and associated military skirmishes in Ireland throughout the 1530s. His involvement with the uprising at Norton was problematic. A relative (Randle Brereton) is named in Sir Piers Dutton’s first letter to Cromwell as a supporter of the abbot, and it seems likely that this connection was maintained during the October rebellion. Following the events at Norton, Brereton continued to participate in campaigns in Ireland, becoming lord justice in spring 1540, and serving until his death in December 1540 or January 1541.
Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell was a very successful administrator during the reign of Henry VIII, rising from a modest background to work at the right-hand of the King for several years, prior to his death in 1540. His early career – as a merchant in the Netherlands and then as a lawyer in London – developed his skills as a strategist and communicator. His abilities were reflected in his rapid rise up the social scale, first acting as a conveyancer for Cardinal Wolsey and then, following Wolsey’s fall from power, working for the king himself. In 1532 he became master of the jewels, which provided access to the king’s finances and signalled the start of his influential position on Henry VIII. He was intimately involved in securing the break with Rome and Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, as well as managing the financial acquisitions from the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1535 and 1536, Cromwell contacted Justices of the Peace – such as Sir Piers Dutton – asking them to inform him of any treasonous abbots or other religious persons who refused to recognise Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England. In 1540, Cromwell was arrested for treason and heresy, and subsequently executed. His fall was partly a result of the failed arranged marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves, which Cromwell had orchestrated, but also arose from his progressive stance on religion; a stance which conflicted with the more conservative mind-set of other men at the king’s court and council, who wished to seize his power.
King Henry VIII
King Henry VIII, born in 1491, was king of England and Ireland from 1509-1547. One of England’s most famous kings, his reign witnessed significant social, political and religious changes, including the separation from Rome and Henry’s establishment as the Supreme Head of the Church in England. The events of 1536 demonstrate the close links between the King’s personal affairs and matters of state; the dissolution of the monasteries was a consequence of the break with Rome, driven by Henry’s need for an annulment of his first marriage to Katherine of Aragon, in order to marry Anne Boleyn (who herself was executed in spring 1536). As a Tudor king, Henry took a personal interest in the day-to-day running of the country, although he was known to conduct state business on his terms. Not a fan of delegation, his preferred hours of work were early morning and late evening, and he required his servants to read and write on his behalf, under his verbal instruction.
Sir Piers Dutton
The Dutton family had been the major benefactors of Norton Priory (elevated to an Abbey in 1391) since the late 12th century. Many Duttons were buried in a special family chapel within the Priory itself. It is interesting therefore that Piers Dutton was appointed by Henry VIII to assess and dispose Norton Abbey in 1536, a duty he pursued with aggressive enthusiasm, pushing for the execution of the Abbot and overcoming the riots of the local people. He was commissioner in the assessment of monasteries in all of Cheshire and he was so effective that he received the personal commendation from the King himself. He also successfully fought a seven year legal battle to win the inheritance of another family member which meant, by the time he died in 1546, he was a very powerful and influential knight.
