YORK MINSTER
What Happened in Tudor Times?
Changes under the Tudors: 1485 - 1603
Visitors often ask if the Minster was damaged
in the reign of Henry VIII. The simple answer is
Henry VII
Henry VIII
Edward VI
Mary
Elizabeth
no – the Minster was not a monastery and was
therefore never “dissolved”. In fact, even if it
had been monastic, the church itself would
Head
of the
Church
in
England
have continued to function as a cathedral,
although any monastic buildings attached
might have been demolished.
Pope
from 1534
Monarch
Pope
(To see what happened to
Monarch
monasteries which were not
cathedrals … visit the ruins of
St Mary’s Abbey in the
Language
of
the Bible
Museum Gardens!)
Latin
English
from 1538
English
English Bible
retained
English
However, when Henry finally made himself
Language
of
Services
“Supreme Head” of the English Church in 1534,
anything relating directly to the Pope was removed:
for example, the papal tiara or triple crown was
Latin
Latin
English
Latin
English
often chiselled away. If you look at the large red shield
in the Central Tower showing St Peter’s keys, you can
still see the outline of the missing tiara.
Robes
Changes at the Minster in Henry’s reign had more
to do with people than the building. Some of the
Who was
allowed to
receive the
wine at
Holy
Communion?
canons (priests) were very lax and rarely here.
Even Archbishops failed to attend. Cardinal Wolsey,
for example, had not visited at all! Henry’s reforms
encouraged Minster clergy to perform their duties
Priest
only
Priest
only
Priest
& people
Priest
only
Priest
& people
Examples of small chalices (priest only) and large cups (priest & people) may be seen
in the Treasury in the Undercroft: Admission charges apply.
more regularly, and his last archbishop, Robert Holgate,
was much more conscientious. He founded a school
in York which still exists.
Quire Screen
The Five Sisters Window - North Transept
N
Restored in the 1920s with lead, discovered at
Rievaulx, which had been stripped from the
Abbey roof and buried in 1539.
There was almost certainly a large rood
(crucifix) over the Quire Screen:
where the organ is now, and
possibly as big!

Savage Chantry
Archbishop Thomas Savage died in 1507, two years
before Henry became king. His tomb has a chantry chapel
above; where mass was said for his soul.
There were over 50 chantries in the Minster by Henry’s reign,
but his son Edward VI abolished the custom.
(This chapel was rebuilt c. 1950)
“Clock Jacks” c 1530
The striking clock has two oak
figures called “quarterjacks” .
The figures were made in
Tudor times.
Chapter
House


The Nave
Was not furnished for worship in Tudor times.
though there would have been small
chantry altars (see “Savage Chantry”)
in the aisles.
This was a great public space, where even
fairs and markets may have taken place but always in association with major
church festivals and processions etc.
Nave


Quire

.
Lectern
English Bible from 1538; but daily services
continued in Latin, until the reign of Edward VI.
Shop

Henry eventually abolished processions,
but the Nave remained largely
unfurnished until Victorian times!
The Rose Window - South Transept
The present glass dates from about 1510 and
records the dawn of the Tudor Dynasty by
combining the red Lancastrian
and white Yorkist roses.
Shrines
Although Henry did not object to statues and stained glass, he
did call for the destruction of saints’ shrines. The Minster had two
shrines to St William of York; one (possibly containing his head) in
the Nave, and the other (containing his body) in the Quire;
both were destroyed, but exactly when,
and in which order, is unclear.