Studies of England during the Reformation period have been broad-ranging and often controversial. Ever changing perspectives and altering interpretations of the archival materials, alongside a lasting interest in the process of religious change make this a topic of enduring interest. For Yorkshire, first studied by Dickens some 70 years ago, recent approaches have opened the way for a return to the ecclesiastical archives and have created a need for their re-interpretation in the light of work by historians such as Shagan and Hoyle. This thesis examines religious change in Reformation Yorkshire in the context of regional culture and .resistance. The extent to which these three issues were intertwined influenced the ways in which Yorkshire towns, villages and parishes received religious change, the ways in which they resisted it, and the ways in which elements of reform became adopted as part of evolving local cultures. The county witnessed extremes of belief on both sides of the confessional divide, from early engagement at Hull to continued conservatism at Whitby, whilst the majority of the population continued to attend church and conform to the religion they were offered. Resistance to change ranged from open rebellion to sullen acquiescence, and included more subtle and underground forms of opposition. As religious change became more embedded in societies it is possible to see its influence in even the most traditional forms ofregional culture. Drawing on the extensive. ecc.lesiastical archives for the Diocese, and taking Dickens' interpretations as a starting point, this thesis demonstrates the complexity and diversity of the process of religious change in a region traditionally perceived to be isolated, backward and Catholic, and through local examples emphasises the continued importance of regional studies to a fuller understanding of the interaction of change, culture and resistance in early modern English religion.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:487416 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Watson, Katherine Emma |
| Publisher | University of York |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/9954/ |
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