Changes in Religion
In the 1530s, Henry VIII separated England from the authority of the Pope to create the Church of England. Thame Park Abbey was dissolved in 1539. The monks were given pensions and the Abbot became Bishop of Oxford.
Handcoloured print by William Fowler, 1808
The Bishop of Lincoln lost his influence over the town and his lands, including the Prebendal, were granted to various noblemen.
Thame parishioners saw music disappear and the church become plainer.
Religious conflict continued through the reigns of Mary I, who briefly restored Catholicism, and Elizabeth I, with Recusants being fined for refusing to attend Protestant services.