THE CORNWALL MILITARY SURVEY OF 1522 with the LOAN BOOKS AND TINNERS MUSTER OF 1535 Edited by T. L. Stoate

Description

In 1522 Wolsey, Henry VIII's chancellor, was badly in need of money to finance the war with France . A subsidy in 1514 failed to raise the expected amount and had to be repeated in 1515 and 1516. He was planning another subsidy and it is presumed that he did not think that satisfactory assessments would be made for it. He therefore ordered a new and extensive survey of the wealth of the country both spiritual and temporal, together with a military muster which he gave out to be the reason for the survey - that it was to determine the rate at which men were to be assessed for the provision of armour - something that was not to be regarded as very onerous. In reality he had determined to use it as the basis for an immediate loan and for a subsidy which was to follow.This book contains a transcript of that survey, the loan books and Tinner's Muster Roll of 1535 originally edited and published by T.L.Stoate.