Gentry

The Pilgrimage of Grace was a series of uprisings in northern England in 1536. It brought together ordinary people, clergy, gentry and some nobles against Henry VIII’s religious policies and government. Its causes were connected: closing a monastery could threaten religious worship, local employment and help for the poor at the same time.

Sheep-owning gentry and nobles benefited from the wool trade. Wool was exported through ports such as London and Bristol, including to the Netherlands, and taxes on wool exports provided revenue for the king.

The House of Lords included nobles and bishops; the House of Commons included representatives drawn from the gentry and merchants. It was not a democratic assembly representing everyone equally. Its importance came partly from bringing powerful sections of society into government.

The rich included the nobility and gentry. Together, they made up less than 2% of the population but owned over half the land. Rent paid by people using their land gave them an income without needing to do physical labour themselves.