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Geoffrey Moorhouse
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The Last Divine Office: Henry VIII and the Dissolution of the Monasteries Hardcover – Illustrated, April 1, 2009

by Geoffrey Moorhouse (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
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Exploring the enormous upheaval caused by the English Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, this vivid new history draws on long-forgotten material from the recesses of one of the world's greatest cathedrals--the great Benedictine Durham Priory, now the Anglican Durham Cathedral.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    BlueBridge
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1933346183
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1933346182
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this rich study, British historian Moorhouse (Great Harry's Navy) portrays the destruction of England's 650 Catholic monasteries and nunneries in the 1530s as a brazen smash-and-grab by a cash-strapped King Henry and his crafty vicar-general, Thomas Cromwell. After a beady-eyed inventory of assets by Cromwell's lawyer-accountants, Moorhouse notes, religious houses were seized or semivoluntarily surrendered to the Crown by terrified abbots, their occupants dispersed, their estates auctioned off, their shrines vandalized and buildings demolished, their jewelry and chalices sent to the royal treasury. Moorhouse finds continuity amid the upheaval by focusing on Durham Priory, a Benedictine monastery with a celebrated cathedral, that survived to become an Anglican Deanery. Drawing on monastic archives, the author vividly recreates the Priory's close-knit community and the warmth and grandeur of its Catholic observances —whose spirit, he contends, infused the Anglican era. His story is partly about the triumph of modernity, with its mercenary logic and remorseless bureaucracy, over medieval values of tradition and sacredness. But as it mourns what was lost in the English Reformation, Moorhouse's absorbing account takes stock of what was not. Photos. (May)
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Review

"This rich study . . . is partly about the triumph of modernity . . . over medieval values of tradition and sacredness. But as it mourns what was lost in the English Reformation, Moorhouse's absorbing account takes stock of what was not."  —Publishers Weekly



"This admirable study looks at the transformation of England's religious life during those upheavals of the 1530s . . . Moorhouse . . . respects his subject and pays scrupulous attention to detail . . . first-rate."   —Library Journal

"Geoffrey Moorhouse has written an absorbing, detailed and scrupulously fair account of this English revolution. . . . He makes clear what was lost, and how vile the means of the government often were."  —The Guardian

"One of the most lucid and graphic accounts I have read of the opening stages of the English Reformation."  —The Spectator

"This is a superb book. . . . The story Moorhouse tells with his customary  elegance is a harrowing one."  —The Independent

"One of the best writers of our time."  —The Times

"[An] elegant narrative."  —Boston Globe

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BlueBridge; Illustrated edition (April 1, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933346183
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933346182
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
28 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

JB
5.0 out of 5 stars Returning customer
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023
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NEVER disappointed some of my used purchases have been brand new never read books will go back again and again
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George H.
4.0 out of 5 stars Durham Cathedral during the Reformation
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2020
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I found it a most interesting and informative book that focused both on Durham as a local case study but also on the broader picture if events in England as a whole. So well worth the read.
5 people found this helpful
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Richard Manly
5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking up that old monastery of mine
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021
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"The Last Divine Office" frames the discussion of Henry VIII's physical destruction of England's Catholic church, who benefitted and how. "Office" is a how-to manual on ending ages of history with picks and shovels. It is pointed out that more than half the works of art created in the first 1,500 years of English religions were destroyed. And all for the guilty love of a killer for a climber.
5 people found this helpful
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the dwarf
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2016
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Excellent book on the Dissolution. Lots of information!
One person found this helpful
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Gerard Araud
2.0 out of 5 stars Charming but superficial
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2009
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Yes, the description of the monastery, of the cathedral and of the traditional rites, which were performed there, is charming. But to describe the dissolution of monasteries only through the lens of greed is blatantly superficial. Everywhere, at the time, in the intellectual circles, the question was asked about the relevance of the monks'life, of the monks'vows for christianity. Read Erasmus or Rabelais to give non protestant names. Furthermore, in the same circles, the luxury of the church was criticized; this very luxury, Mr. Moorhouse describes in Durham, with some apparent nostalgy. Greed, violence, yes but also an authentic will of some to create a new church they wanted or believed closer to the church of the first times. It is good to remember that reformation was often imposed on the common man but it doesn't mean that the reformers were only brutal crooks.
17 people found this helpful
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egn
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the Durham community
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2009
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This is a thorough and extremely detailed account of the history of Durham Cathedral and its monastic community--almost too detailed as it was (is) impossible for me to absorb the extensive recounting of persons associated with the monastic community and its dismemberment. However, the thoroughness also lent the volume an immediacy that is intriguing. Some of the author's biases are obvious, but that is natural with a biography, which this is, albeit of a place rather than a person.
10 people found this helpful
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timo
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2017
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Great reference material--readable and accessible for most...
2 people found this helpful
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Andrew G. Lang
2.0 out of 5 stars Dry and tedious
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2017
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Given the dramatic subject matter, I was surprised how dry and tedious this book turned out to be. Stopped reading after the first chapter.
2 people found this helpful
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Keith
5.0 out of 5 stars Henry VIII's battle with the Pope and the Dissolution of the Monastry's.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2015
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Moorhouse produces a very good account of henry VIII and his administrations and wives. Very useful for students of Tudor history. This book entails all the problems Henry had with getting rid of unwanted wives and his eventual role as the leader offf the English church in order to get divorced. We are, unfortunately, only left with the ruins of fthe Abbeys he had closed down during the Dissolution.
4 people found this helpful
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TannP
2.0 out of 5 stars Pas vraiment ce que j'attendais
Reviewed in France on October 3, 2012
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Ce livre m'a déçu. Il est en fait coupé en deux parties. La première traite de la vie monastique au monastère de Durham avant la Réformation et la dissolution des monastères. La deuxième traite de la Réformation et des événements qui sont venus frapper la vie monastique lors de la dissolution. Mais cette seconde partie se rattache en fait toujours à Durham et examine - par le menu - les événements survenus dans ce monastère.
L'analyse générale de la suppression des monastères ne dépasse pas une trentaine de pages. Tout le reste concerne Durham. Ce qui n'était pas franchement évident à la lecture du texte de présentation.
De plus, le style de l'auteur n'est pas très agréable.
Bref, si vous êtes intéressé par une vue globale de la dissolution des monastères sous Henri VIII, lire ce livre ne vous apportera pas grand-chose. Répétons-le : seules trente pages présentent un réel intérêt. Si vous voulez un récit détaillé des vicissitudes des prélats dans les monastères (et surtout Durham) à la suite de la Dissolution, ce livre est fait pour vous.
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Bruno Bonazzi
4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, at what cost.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2016
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of course, at what cost? No price equals the value of a soul , of its dignity, that is in the respect of the principles it believes on. Prior Whitehead was unfaithful to them, for fear or interest, or both, no cathedral, however beautiful it may be, and majestic, is worth the price of loyalty. “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” ..If religion is downgraded into a question of excitement from beutifully connected stones, poor religion and poor men! I prefer to be moved by the ruined stones of Glastonbury as they are testimony of courage and fidelity, and damnation of violence and disgraceful greed.

I don't even agree on the judgment on the persecution carried out by Mary Tudor, the Unhappy Queen (not her fault)- as usual, as here, labelled The Bloody Queen. Hers was essentially a political act against opponents who conspired against her power and her religion, in the name of theirs, whereas her father's her brother's her sister' was essentially a fight against a religion they had rejected and didn' t allow it can come back -the religion, in brackets. that has been a whole nation's and whole people's for centuries....Cranmer or Latimer were not the same things as Edmund Campion and Robert Soutwell, these always loyal to their queen. As the Chartreuse's or Benedictine or Friar Minors monks have not been politically dangerous to Henry VIII, the great Villain,indeed!

Otherwise, the book is very instructive about this disgraceful and glorious - it depends on what side you see it - page of the English history. And a captivating reading -as far as possible for such a subject...
6 people found this helpful
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Chris Mitchell
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2014
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An enjoyable look into a past age when religious belief so much more important.
One person found this helpful
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