Summary Of The Voices Of Morebath

Essay #2
In The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village, renowned scholar Eamonn Duffy investigates the English Reformation. Duffy pears through the eyes of the priest of a small, remote village in Southwestern England. Using Sir Christopher Trichay’s records of the parish, Duffy illustrates an image of Reformation opposite of what is predominantly assumed. Duffy argues the transformation that took place between 1530 and 1570, through the transition of four monarchs, was much more gradual that many interpret. Even though state mandate religious change affected the community of Morebath, the change did not ensue the violence that is often construed with the Reformation. Sir Christopher Trichay’s leadership and his portrayal of community life, the development and removal of St. Sidwell, and the participation in the church through stores develop Duffy’s argument of appeasement rather than violence during the English Reformation.
It is important to understand life in Morebath preceding the Reformation before

exploring the changes that took place in Morebath during the Reformation. Morebath was a small village inhabited by thirty-three families differing slightly in social status. The village had one church and every citizen of Morebath was a member of the church parish. Everyone was expected to contribute to the church in some form or another, which is one of Duffy’s key pieces of evidence. The agrarian society focused primarily on sheep and subsistence farming which was able to provide most of the resources needed to live comfortably. Life was very cyclical, following the partner of birth, marriage, and death; all of which were joined with a church ceremony.
Duffy utilizes Sir Christopher Trichay’s account as a keyhole to view the changes to life in Morebath. From the beginning of his time as the parish vicar, Sir Christopher Trichay kept an account book that did more that record the monetary transactions on the parish. The ledger also served as a recording of the parishioners’ efforts and who is to be prayed for, the wardens of the church and their duties, as well as some of the social conflict of the community. Through the accounts of Sir Christopher Trichay, Duffy illustrates the everyday life of those living in Morebath. One can glance into the lives of the villagers by understanding the recorded income of each of the households.
Life during the English Reformation was not turned upside down. Sir Christopher Trichay articulated the community ideals of that surrounded the beginning and ending of death. Much of his writing illustrated the values the community has toward each of these aspects of life: birth is portrayed through baptism and death in the detailing of property and the wealth that was bequest upon the church. The child that died mid-birth baptized portrays the community ideal of belonging to God’s family and the concern for the eternal mortality of the children born into a time of high infant mortality. Opposite birth, Sir Christopher also recorded death in the community. When the poor would die with insufficient ability to be buried, the community contribute to a proper burial. The community placed a lot of importance on the beginning and end of life. Even with the changes brought by the prayer book, Sir Christopher Trichay writing portrays the idea that the community still cares for the souls of their children and the dead. The unchanging values of the Morebath community emphasize that even as the Reformation changed the ways religion was practiced, the community’s ideals remained the same. As Sir Christopher Trichay followed the rules commanded by the throne, the principles that the community valued remained constant. One scholar wrote as the Reformation changed the way religion was practices, people were still married and buried.
Another focus of the community was a Saint introduced by Sir Christopher Trichay. Saint Sidwell already existed in the community, but the priest used the Saint to continue his goals with the church. Appealing to the local people, specifically women in the community, Sir Christopher Trichay was able to renovate the church with the newly established form of fundraising. Duffy allows the reader to understand the “importance of cult images in the symbolic fabric of early Tudor Morebath’s religion.” Duffy also emphasizes the importance in the symbolic Saint when the saint is removed in the shift to Protestantism. The church lost a source of its funding when the Saint was removed from the church. As Protestant regulations took hold of the church, raising funds became more and more difficult.
Duffy utilizes the image of Saint Sidwell to portray the character of Sir Christopher Trichay.

Trichay is seen as bringing local belief together with those of the greater church, Protestant or Catholic. Sir Christopher Trichay changed the way he referred to certain objects in the church as rule shifted from Henry VIII to Edward VI. The name altar changed to table but Duffy shows the reader that Sir Christopher Trichay would always see it as an altar. Old habits and patterns could not simply be erased. Images and decorations could be changed or eliminated in the church, but the ideas would not simply disappear. The Reformation did not result in a sudden change. Beliefs would begin to change gradually but the daily life of the parish would remain the same. Duffy emphasizes that there was not an upheaval with the removal of the Saint. The church did suffer financially but people did not protest to the extent that many

imagine.
Similar to Saint Sidwell, the people of Morebath operated stores that raised money for different church projects. The stores were very modest, simple forms of funds for different projects of the church. The members of the community could contribute to a store. The Young Men’s store was made up of young unmarried men and the Maiden store included young women around the age of 12. Each group of people in the community held a certain role and would take an active role in providing for the church. “Decision making and accountability” were predominant traits of the community before the Reformation.
Not only would individuals serve the church through the role of the Warden. Individuals acting as the Warden would either be in charge of specific stores or act as a census taker, recording the value of every citizen. The Warden could be any man that had property to his name. The wealthiest men and the poorest men with property all shared the responsibility of holding the Warden role. People had pride for contributing to the church and in a small village, people would know if you weren’t contributing. The positive peer pressure mixed with the risk of being confronted in front of the community by Sir Christopher Trichay became enough motivation to get the community involved. The church was able to maintain and improve itself in the Morebath Parish due to the work of the community, led by Sir Christopher Trichay. Church life and their daily life did not exist as separate elements. Duffy makes it very clear the daily lives of those living in Morebath were infused with the vernacular every day through the written testimony of Sir Christopher Trichay. With the onset of the Reformation, involvement in the church lessened as the stores were removed.
The reader is able to feel like they know Sir Christopher Trichay on a personal level through Duffy’s portrayal of his depiction of religious and communal life. Throughout Duffy’s work, one can see that there was no distinction between secular and vernacular life. Each where intertwined and the changes that took place during the Reformation changed everyday life. The English Reformation did change the way the church interacted with the community, but it did not lead to any grand upheaval in the small village of Morebath. Rural life itself remained the same. As Duffy challenges the predetermined ideas of the Reformation, the reader walks away with a perspective that the change took place over a long period. Differing from previous interpretations, the impact of the English Reformation resulted in a series of small accommodations, appeasements, and ultimately a continued Catholic way of life.