University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2014 Civil Reformations: Religion in Dundee and Haddington C.1520-1565 Timothy Slonosky University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the European History Commons, History of Religion Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Slonosky, Timothy, "Civil Reformations: Religion in Dundee and Haddington C.1520-1565" (2014). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1446. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1446 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1446 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Civil Reformations: Religion in Dundee and Haddington C.1520-1565 Abstract ABSTRACT CIVIL REFORMATIONS: RELIGION IN DUNDEE AND HADDINGTON, C.1520-1565 Timothy Slonosky Prof. Margo Todd In 1559-60, Scotland's Catholic church was dramatically and rapidly replaced by a rigorous Protestant regime. Despite their limited resources, the Protestant nobles who imposed the Reformation faced little resistance or dissent from the Scottish laity. A study of burgh records demonstrates that the nature of urban religion was crucial to the success of the Reformation among the laity. The municipal governments of Dundee and Haddington exercised significant control over religious worship in their towns, as they built and administered churches, hired clergy and provided divine worship as a public good. Up until 1560, the town councils fulfilled their esponsibilitiesr diligently, maintaining good relations with the clergy, ensuring high standards of service and looking for opportunities to expand public worship. The towns nonetheless acted to protect those who were interested in discussing religious reform. The circulation of reform proposals from the 1520s on accustomed a generation of Scots to the idea that the religious order would eventually be reformed, even if the exact shape was the reform was not yet clear. Many Scots saw the war and plague which devastated Scotland in the 1540s as a sign of divine anger, and sought reforms to prevent further miseries. In Dundee, the Protestants were welcomed partly because of their emphasis on discipline, which was seen as a means of appeasing God. In Haddington, years of war and plague may have caused the burghers to emphasize civic unity and peace and to avoid religious discord, which muted opposition to the Reformation. Even if they were not yet all enthusiastic Protestants, the openness of the urban laity to religious reforms was a crucial aspect to the success of the Scottish Reformation. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group History First Advisor Margo Todd Keywords Civic Religion, Dundee, Haddington, Reformation, Scotland, Urban History Subject Categories European History | History | History of Religion | Religion This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1446 CIVIL REFORMATIONS: RELIGION IN DUNDEE AND HADDINGTON C.1520-1565 Timothy Slonosky A DISSERTATION in History Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 Supervisor of Dissertation ______________ Margo Todd Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History Graduate Group Chairperson _________________ Benjamin Nathans, Ronald S. Lauder Term Associate Professor of History Dissertation Committee Antonio Feros, Associate Professor of History E. Ann Matter, William R. Kenan Professor of Religious Studies Philip Benedict, Professeur ordinaire, Université de Genève CIVIL REFORMATIONS: RELIGION IN DUNDEE AND HADDINGTON C.1520- 1565 COPYRIGHT 2014 Timothy Slonosky iii Acknowledgments A great many people have helped to create this dissertation. I was extremely fortunate to benefit from the supervision of Margo Todd, who unstintingly offered her expertise on all matters historical and academic, and who was always generous with her time and hospitality. Antonio Feros and Ann Matter introduced me to many of the concepts discussed in the text, and offered many helpful comments on the final drafts of the dissertation. My archival research would have been much more fraught without the grounding gained in Ann Moyer’s Latin reading group. Philip Benedict provided important suggestions on several key issues in the dissertation, which strengthened it immensely. The summer courses he and his colleagues taught at the Institute d’Histoire de la Réformation were invaluable for their close studies of primary evidence and for introducing me to a broad array of academic perspectives. Jane Dawson, Elizabeth Ewan and Roger Mason all took the time to discuss my research and make helpful suggestions. The remaining errors are, of course, my own. Many archivists and librarians offered essential help. In Dundee, Iain Flett, Richard Cullen and the staff of the Dundee City Archives not only provided expert assistance but, just as important, a cheerful welcome for the many months that I sat in their office/reading room. Iain Flett in particular shared much of his own knowledge and put me in touch with many local historians and resources. David Kett and the staff of the Local History section of the Dundee Library pointed to me to many new sources. The staff at the National Archives of Scotland were unfailingly friendly and helpful. Ruth Fyfe at the East Lothian Council Archives has patiently and diligently answered my many requests. Financial support, without which this dissertation could not have been written, has been provided by the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Ben Franklin Fellowship of the University of Pennsylvania. iv Researching and writing this dissertation would not have been nearly as stimulating were it not for the comradeship of Daniel Cheely, Matthew Gaetano, Igor Knezevic and Kathryn Ostrofsky, who all understand that history is a passion and not merely a career. Igor, Matt and their families also offered sunny Mediterranean escapes when Scotland became a little too dreich. Thanks Sonia and Amy! My colleagues at Dawson College all offered their support and encouragement throughout the project, and covered for me on many occasions. In particular, Michael Wood and Odette Dubé graciously handled my many last-minute leave requests, and Michael Wasser was always willing to read chapters and discuss Scottish history. Finally, this work was only accomplished with the support of many people who never imagined that so much of their lives would taken up by sixteenth-century Scots. Gabrielle Leadbetter along with Jane and David Wilson provided a home away from home. Anthony and Clare Slonosky spent many hours trekking to forts and castles when I was young and now spent many hours reading chapter drafts. Since the very beginning I have been supported by the love, encouragement and copy-editing of Candice Slonosky. She and Maisie provided many rays of sunshine on cloudy Edinburgh days. v ABSTRACT CIVIL REFORMATIONS: RELIGION IN DUNDEE AND HADDINGTON, C.1520-1565 Timothy Slonosky Prof. Margo Todd In 1559-60, Scotland’s Catholic church was dramatically and rapidly replaced by a rigorous Protestant regime. Despite their limited resources, the Protestant nobles who imposed the Reformation faced little resistance or dissent from the Scottish laity. A study of burgh records demonstrates that the nature of urban religion was crucial to the success of the Reformation among the laity. The municipal governments of Dundee and Haddington exercised significant control over religious worship in their towns, as they built and administered churches, hired clergy and provided divine worship as a public good. Up until 1560, the town councils fulfilled their responsibilities diligently, maintaining good relations with the clergy, ensuring high standards of service and looking for opportunities to expand public worship. The towns nonetheless acted to protect those who were interested in discussing religious reform. The circulation of reform proposals from the 1520s on accustomed a generation of Scots to the idea that the religious order would eventually be reformed, even if the exact shape was the reform was not yet clear. Many Scots saw the war and plague which devastated Scotland in the 1540s as a sign of divine anger, and sought reforms to prevent further miseries. In Dundee, the Protestants were welcomed partly because of their emphasis on discipline, which was seen as a means of appeasing God. In Haddington, years of war and plague may have caused the burghers to emphasize civic unity and peace and to avoid religious discord, which muted opposition to the Reformation. Even if they were not yet all enthusiastic Protestants, the openness of the urban laity to religious reforms was a crucial aspect to the success of the Scottish Reformation. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vii Terminology .................................................................................................................................