The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536-1537, and the Exeter Conspiracy, 1538, Volume 1 (of 2)

"The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536–1537, and the Exeter Conspiracy, 1538, Volume I" by Madeleine Hope Dodds and Ruth Dodds is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It examines the great northern uprising against Henry VIII and the related court plot that followed, tracing their political, religious, and social causes, their leadership, and their regional dynamics. Drawing heavily on official papers and contemporary correspondence, it highlights how Cromwell’s reforms, royal policy, and northern power networks converged to ignite rebellion. The opening of the work sets the stage with a clear survey of England’s condition just before the first rising: Henry VIII’s unsettled succession, financial strain amid inflation, and Thomas Cromwell’s ascent and management of Parliament. It outlines a cascade of religious and political measures—the royal supremacy, the Ten Articles, royal injunctions, dissolution of smaller monasteries, curbs on sanctuary and benefit of clergy, treason and succession laws, the Statute of Uses, market and cloth regulations, and anti-enclosure efforts—that bred resentment across classes, while continental rivalries kept the Pope from acting decisively. It then turns to “Plots and Tokens,” sketching the White Rose faction around the Poles and the Courtenays; Reginald Pole’s De Unitate urging resistance and foreign aid; and the drift of Lord Darcy and Lord Hussey from royal service to covert opposition, spurred by fears for Katherine of Aragon and Mary—culminating in Lady Hussey’s arrest and Mary’s coerced submission. Finally, “Affinity and Confederacy” maps the northern power structure and border lawlessness, the contested authority of the Council of the North, and the feuds and kin-networks—Percy, Clifford, Neville, Bowes, Bulmer, Bigod—whose rivalries, grievances, and alliances would soon shape the leadership and scope of the Pilgrimage of Grace.