In 1107 William D’Albini, Chief Butler to Henry I,
built a priory for the Benedictine monastery of St Albans on the
site of the Saxon church in Wymondham. This grew in size and
importance and became an Abbey in 1448.
The Dissolution came to Wymondham in 1538 when Henry VIII sent
John Flowerdew, a sergeant at law living at Stanfield Hall, to
supervise the pulling down of the monastic buildings. The
following period until 1553 was characterised by considerable
upheaval following Henry VIII's Reformation of the Church. Then
Mary came to the throne, reversing the process. After the death
of "Bloody" Mary in 1558, the Injunctions of 1559 were
implemented "for the suppression of superstition" and "to plant
true religion". The altar, images and the whole rood and screen
in the church were finally taken down. Roman Catholicism was
banned by law and driven underground.
In subsequent years, the faith was maintained by a brave few who
continued to celebrate Mass clandestinely. Since there were no
Roman Catholic Churches, any celebration was covert and
restricted to secret services in private houses with priests
being cared for and hidden by the laity. In the difficult years
between 1560 and 1790, the clergy was maintained by the presence
of Dominicans, Jesuits and Benedictines who, although they had to
remain invisible to the authorities, nonetheless continued to
celebrate Mass for the faithful. There are no known “priest
holes” in Wymondham. From a national high of 2.5 million members
in 1559, out of a population of 4 million, numbers had declined,
by 1780, to a mere 60,000 out of a total population of 7.5
million.
The Emancipation Act of 1791 allowed the restoration of Roman
Catholic practice, the building of chapels was legalized and
numbers grew rapidly.
Further reading:
http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/Catholic+Emancipation+Act
Wymondham - History of a Norfolk Market Town ISBN 1-901553-03-5
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