In the early 16th cent. there were at least 825 religious houses in England and Wales
Over 500 of these were monasteries, the others being nunneries and friaries
Many owned much land and employed many labourers, as well as providing livelihoods for those in villages nearby
By 1540 - all these had closed - with huge implications for society and the economy as a whole as well what was being assumed about religious beliefs and practices
It also provides evidence of how both monarch and Parliament were able to utilise their newly declared power in the legislation of the earlier 1530s
