Farnham

The story of the Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries is well-known to historians. King Henry VIII. seeking annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and pursuit of a legitimate male heir, set in train a sequence of events which shaped the subsequent history of Britain. While the lineaments of the story are well-known, the particular effects the Reformation had on a typical small town are not. Farnham offers such a study. The book details comprehensively the effects of the Reformation on Farnham. It in particular provides a more nuanced portrait of Stepehn Gardiner, twice Bishop of Winchester, than is common these days.