MONASTERY, a convent or house built for the reception of religious, whether it be abbey, priory, convent, or other. This name is only properly applied to the houses of monks, mendicant friars, and nuns. The rest are more properly called religious houses.

The houses belonging to the several religious orders which prevailed in England and Wales were, cathedrals, colleges, abbeys, priories, preceptories, commandries, hospitals, friaries, hermitages, chantries, and free chapels. These were under the direction and management of various officers. The dissolution of houses of this kind began as early as the year 1312, when the Templars were suppressed; and in 1323, their lands, churches, advowsons, and liberties, in England, were given, by 17 Edward II. st. 3, to the prior and brethren of the hospital of St John of Jerusalem. In the years 1390, 1437, 1441, 1459, 1497, 1505, 1508, and 1515, several other houses were dissolved, and their revenues settled on different colleges in Oxford and Cambridge. Soon after the last period, Cardinal Wolsey, by license of the king and pope, obtained a dissolution of above thirty religious houses, for the founding and endowing of his colleges at Oxford and Ipswich. About the same time a bull was granted by the same pope to Cardinal Wolsey to suppress monasteries where there were not above six monks, to the value of 8000 ducats a year, for endowing Windsor and King’s College in Cambridge; and two other bulls were granted to Cardinals Wolsey and Campeius, to suppress houses where there were less than twelve monks, and to annex them to the greater monasteries; besides another bull to the same cardinals to inquire concerning abbeys to be suppressed in order to be made cathedrals. Although nothing appears to have been done in consequence of these bulls, the motives which induced Wolsey and many others to suppress these houses was the desire of promoting learning; and Archbishop Cranmer engaged in it with a view of carrying on the Reformation. There were other causes which concurred to bring on their ruin. Many of the religious were loose and vicious; the monks were generally thought to be in their hearts attached to the pope’s supremacy; their revenues were not employed according to the intention of the donors; many cheats in images, feigned miracles, and counterfeit relics, had been discovered, which brought the monks into disgrace; the Observant Friars had opposed the king’s divorce from Queen Catharine; and these circumstances operated, in concurrence with the king’s Avant of a supply and the people’s desire to save their money, to forward a motion in parliament, that, in order to support the king’s state, and supply his wants, all the religious houses might be conferred upon the crown which were not able to spend above L.200 a year. For this purpose an act was passed, being the 27th Hen. VIII. c. 28. By this act about three hundred and eighty houses were dissolved, and a revenue of L.30,000 or L.32,000 a year accrued in consequence to the crown; besides about L.100,000 in plate and jewels. The suppression of these houses occasioned discontent, and at length an open rebellion. When this was appeased, the king resolved to suppress the rest of the monasteries, and appointed a new visitation, which caused the greater abbeys to be surrendered apace; and it was enacted by 31 Henry VIII. c. 13, that all monasteries, &c. which have been surrendered since the 4th of February, in the twenty-seventh year of his majesty’s reign, and which shall hereafter be surrendered, shall be vested in the king. The knights of St John of Jerusalem were also suppressed by the 32d Henry VIII. c. 24. The suppression of these greater houses by the two acts in question produced a revenue to the king of above L. 100,000 a year, besides a large sum in plate and jewels. The last act of dissolution in this king’s reign was the act of 37 Henry VIII. c. 4, for dissolving colleges, free chapels, chantries, and the like; which act was further enforced by 1 Edward VI. c. 14. By this act were suppressed ninety colleges, one hundred and ten hospitals, and two thousand three hundred· and seventy-four chantries and free chapels.