History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland [Paperback]

William Cobbett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009

Cobbett provides an accurate and compelling chronicle of the events which followed Henry VIII s break with Rome, the destruction of monasteries and displacement of countless thousands of tenant farmers from monastic lands which rapidly produced a vast number of homeless poor. He argues that the loss of this monastic culture caused a permanent rift between the laborer and the nobleman which had not existed in Catholic England or Ireland. It is a tragic tale of the death of the truly Catholic realm, but Cobbett s clear understand of the source and impact of this tragedy makes it eminently worth reading.

Editorial Reviews

Review

G.K. Chesterton says that the accuracy of William Cobbett s History of the Reformation has never been challenged: only his challenge has been challenged! He turned popular history on its head, simply by looking at the facts, and calling the players by their proper names, such as Bloody Bess and Good Queen Mary. --Dale Ahlquist (President of the American Chesterton Society)

About the Author

William Cobbett (1763 1835) was an English journalist and farmer. Born in Surrey, he is most known for his work to end poverty in the lower classes. He worked for parliamentary reform and won the Parliamentary seat of Oldham in 1832. A Protestant, Cobbett was a fierce advocate of Catholic emancipation. This book shows the connection between the Reformation and the increase of poverty in England and Ireland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: St. Benedict Press & TAN Books; revised edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895553538
• ISBN-13: 978-0895553539
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,065,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Eye-Opener!, November 21, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland (Paperback)

I enjoyed Cobbett's "History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland" immensely. It truly was an eye-opener regarding the commonly held notions of this period in British history.

Reading this book, I learned --- among many other surprising things --- that "Bloody Mary" was not really so bloody, that "Good Queen Bess" was not really so good, that the "Glorious Revolution" was not all that glorious, and that maybe England might have been better off had King Henry VIII controlled his passion and greed and left things as he had found them.

If nothing else Cobbett's book provides a fascinating alternative viewpoint to what we learned in school. (And he is not afraid to cite his sources in footnotes so readers may check his accuracy.)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terribly Important!, March 4, 2007

By 

Michael Tozer (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland (Paperback)

William Cobbett's book is extraordinarily well done and terribly important. The author presents the bloody and horrible story of the persecution of Holy Church in England and Ireland from the time of Henry VIII to the reign of George III. This book is even more interesting in light of the fact that it was rendered by a Protestant expositor, who understood the persecution of Holy Church and the devastating impact of that persecution from a political and economic, rather than from a theological, perspective.

Cobbett does an exceptional job of linking together the bloody reformation of Henry VIII with the regicide of Charles I, the usurpation of England's last Catholic monarch, James II, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution. Evidently, Cobbett inspired both Belloc and Chesterton. Those who love the histories of Belloc will be well served by reading Cobbett's important contribution. His description of the ecomomic ramifications of the persecution of Catholicism in the British Isles is astounding. And his identification of the tremendous contributions of Catholicism to the glory that was England is equally important and interesting.

Read this very important book. And be richly blessed, and well informed by the experience.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable, March 29, 2005

By 

Brad Shorr "Brad Shorr" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland (Paperback)

Cobbett wrote this energetic and vitriolic history of the Reformation in the early 1800's. It turned conventional wisdom on its head and influenced many high-powered pro-Catholic intellectuals, including Hilaire Belloc and GK Chesterton. Cobbett's basic premise is that the Reformation destroyed the social fabric of England, which had been sewn together so elegantly under nine centuries of Catholic influence and rule. His detailed account of Henry VIII's profligacy, the rapacious deeds of his political heirs and allies, and the havoc they wrought upon the citizenry, especially the poor citizenry, make a supremely convincing argument. Although Cobbett wields a venomous pen, he researched his subject well and appears to have most of his facts straight. And although he interprets the facts in the worst possible light, there is no getting around the one simple fact that greed, lust and hatred motivated many of England's "reformers". Cobbett's style is conversational--as if he were writing you a letter, almost--and is remarkably readable for a work of that period. I think any investigation of the Reformation should include this book!