BattlefieldsPilgrimage of Grace — Sawley Abbey Reoccupation October 1536
Tudor

Pilgrimage of Grace — Sawley Abbey Reoccupation October 1536

1536
England
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
absent royal commissioners; no armed clash at abbey itself
VS
Victor
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Rebel pilgrims
Outcome
Abbey reoccupied briefly; after suppression of rising Sawley dissolved permanently and abbot executed.
The Battle

History & Significance

Rebel forces reoccupied Sawley Abbey in Lancashire after it had been dissolved and the monks expelled. Abbot Thomas Bolton was reinstated by the pilgrims; the reoccupation symbolised the wider demand for restoration of the monasteries and was a direct defiance of royal authority.

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