The Impact of Reformation on North-East England: A Preliminary Survey

Abstract

This enquiry looks at some of the ways in which the Reformation made itself felt in the north-eastern diocese of Durham. These are considered in relation to the rest of the kingdom and in the light of recent scholarship on the subject. It concentrates on the parish level, and in particular, on the survival of parochial traditions and rituals: practices that were often peculiar to the north-eastern parts. What emerges is that the process was complex and the experience varied, sometimes considerably, across the diocese. The study goes on to examine how the bishop of Durham and the urban oligarchy in Newcastle played significant, though never unchallenged, roles in the course of the Reformation in the north-eastern counties. The tentative conclusions drawn in this outline survey are intended to be amplified and expanded in a broader study of the impact of reformation on north-eastern England.