EP14 - The Manuscript They Couldn’t Burn (Dissolution of Westminster Abbey, 1521) | The Reformation

Step into Westminster Abbey in 1539.Brother Oswin, a 55-year-old scribe and monk, watches as Henry VIII’s commissioners arrive to dismantle the Abbey and strip it of its sacred books. As the Dissolution of the Monasteries sweeps across England, he makes a quiet choice—to preserve what he can. Together with a young clerk, he begins a secret manuscript, recording centuries of scribal knowledge before it’s erased forever.Told as a first-person historical narrative, this calm, contemplative episode brings you into the heart of Tudor England during the English Reformation. It is fictional, but grounded in historical fact.Ideal for listeners seeking:– The Dissolution of Westminster Abbey– The English Reformation and Henry VIII– Historical fiction and first-person storytelling– Sleep-friendly history and immersive narration– Westminster Abbey history and monastic life