England underwent a change from being a Catholic nation to a Protestant bastion between 1530 and 1580. By the close of this time, it had transformed into a land of anti-papal activity and whitewashed chapels. This faith shift had an effect on the entire nation, from the cities to the rural areas. Catholic piety-influenced individuals, however, rebelled against the shift. Revolutionary uprisings against the religious shift resulted from this. We get a glimpse of Morebath, a small farming community close to Exmoor, in the novel The Voices of Morebath. Sir Christopher, the only cleric in the community during the English Reformation, managed the church finances on behalf of the churchwardens. Through his eyes, we gain an insight into the life and catholic piety in the village. The book provides a view of a countryside in crisis as reformation in the country progressed. The priest’s accounts offer evidence of the motives which influenced communities in the countryside to participate in the 1549 rebellion. It later ended in a bloody defeat and mass executions. Church bells in Morebath were confiscated and punishment imposed on the people for the upheaval . The priest documents the changes in the village which was reluctant to Protestants but became changed by the secular demands of the state, tax payment, and equipping of armies. He describes a countryside that was changed and allows us to understand the experiences of his villages four hundred years after the English Reformation.
The book is personal highlighting the nature and traits of Sir Christopher. The key highlight of the book is Christopher Trychay who Duffy refers to as ‘Sir Christopher. ’ This was a title commonly given to priests in the 16th century. Sir Christopher emerged as a strong leader who occasionally was difficult to work with. He is described as being a pedantic man with pithy comments. He defined how his followers should behave and encouraged cooperation between the church leadership and the parishioners. He was not as meticulous in his records of those who did not contribute to the parish, but he highlighted those who were generous. Duffy argues that a part of the record was intended to be read aloud. This gives a view of the priest standing before the parishioners in the church and addressing them. Readers can even picture the priest with his Devon accent preaching in the church. Fragments of Latin mingled together with English in priest’s accounts support Duffy’s argument that Latin may have been commonly used and understood by the people at that time.
As the priest provides information of the obligations and contribution of this parishioners, he maps the Morebath community via the written and spoken word. He is portrayed as a determined person as evidenced by his dedication of an altar to the local saint and the success of his campaign to promote the Saint’s cult to his parishioners. At the end of the book, he concludes with his last words which are touching. There is something emotive in the admission that after making his last, will he does not make any financial gains.
Churchwarden accounts
First, Churchwardens were representatives of parish communities that were given the mandate to collect and administer funds for the church. Often, they served for to two years and worked in pairs. The churchwarden was given the mandate to manage the church, land, and property. His roles included burying strangers, baptizing children, and making payments to poor parishioners. He was assisted in his duties by an assistant.
Churchwardens’ account was born due to the necessity of the churchwarden’s responsibility for keeping detailed accounts of funds sent to the parish and its expenses. Churchwarden accounts kept records of the money spent on various goods and services. The records highlight expenses on a wide range of issues such as road repairs, purchase of communion wine, etc. The accounts provided information on the payments made to individuals such as decorators, carpenters, and stonemasons for maintenance of the church and its environs.
The Churchwardens account from Morebath reveals that the village was heavily influenced by Catholic piety. Scrutiny of the parish accounts showed that the church had financed and equipped a group of young men to become rebels. These men joined rebels in some of the camps located outside Exeter. Surprisingly, Sir Christopher’s records disclose the names of the young men who became rebels as well as their financiers. Natural piety against religious change in the county is apparent in the contributions made to the parish by the flock which were used to fund the rebellion. Besides the funds spent, records indicating that some men from the village joined the rebellion show that the position of the parish community against the shifting religious trends. It is important to note that only two of the rebels from the village returned. The rest were killed alongside the 4000 men that fought with Lord Russell’s army.
The evidence presented in the book reinforce Duffy’s argument about Catholic piety in Morebath. His argument is persuasive as he provides evidence indicating the role played by the church in the rebellion. Despite the religious change, the parish community sought to maintain its identity through all means possible. By contributing to the rebellion as shown by Duffy, Catholic piety is proved to be a strong factor in the village that could have influenced the villagers to defend their faith.
Resistance
In the book, Duffy describes the village’s resistance to religious reforms as rebellion. This term fits the nature of resistance posed by the villagers to the religious changes as they were involved in armed resistance against the government. The villagers not only funded the rebellion via the parish but also sent some of their young men to fight against Lord Russell’s army. Hence, I agree that their contribution to the armed struggle fits the narrative of rebellion as defined by Duffy.
Various types of resistance can arise in different situations. Resistance mainly arises due to a threat that affects a specific community. Some of them include political resistance, cultural resistance, and spiritual resistance. Political resistance involves acts aimed at the overhaul of an existing government or preserving status quo. This type of resistance occurs in an environment where political oppression prevails. Cultural resistance incorporates cultural preservation actions where a community threatened by a new culture focuses on maintaining its own culture. It is evident in the modern world particularly due to globalization which has led to the intermingling of people from different cultures. Some communities tend to stick to their people to prevent culture erosion. Spiritual resistance mainly occurs in a situation where a specific community is oppressed for its faith. This kind of resistance is apparent in many minority religious communities such as Assyrians that are threatened by dominant religions.
Bibliography
Wrightson, K. "The voice of Morebath-Reformation and rebellion in an English village." (2001): 12-12.
