Wessex Week - The Final Years of Malmesbury Abbey (1485 – 1539) – Talk only

Talk by Tony McAleavy

After many centuries of occupation the Benedictine monks of Malmesbury were evicted in December 1539.

Tony tells the colourful story of the last few decades of monastic life and addresses the question: was the community in a state of terminal decline in the lead up to the Dissolution? He will set out to show that, although some of the last monks were badly behaved and  ill-suited to a religious life, many others were highly conscientious and dedicated to their monastic calling.