Religion and Reform in the Diocese of Meath, 1536-1622

This book charts the attempts made to introduce religious reforms into the diocese of Meathduring the th century. The study opens with an investigation of the towns of Meath and adiscussion of religion in the pre-reformation period. This is followed by a narrative of thereform initiatives introduced into the diocese and a discussion of the careers of three Tudorbishops there, which demonstrate the failure of religious reform in th-century Meath. Another chapter discusses the financial state of the Tudor church in Meath and the effect whichthis had on the suitability of the clergy there. The dissolution of the monasteries is investigated,along with the covert resistance which some of the dissolution commissions encountered andthe fate of the dispossessed religious. The dissolutions freed up a vast amount of property whichlay in the gift of the crown to distribute among the gentry families of the Pale. The effect whichthis had upon the fortunes and religious outlook of both the nobility and gentry in th andearly th-century Meath is examined in the final chapter.