Landowner and official Thomas Holcroft (politician)

holcroft acquired , has kept reputation ruthlessness in acquisition of monastic lands. robert southwell, key figure in court of augmentations, deputed lancashire during 1537, reporting of holcroft @ furness that:

if there fee holcroft take it: has been diligent, though put in trust pluck down church.

dissolution @ of larger houses holcroft involved became unusually tortuous , bloody. pilgrimage of grace, yorkshire , lincolnshire rising, spilled on pennines , set off resistance in lancashire, delaying dissolutions under way. pardon proclaimed subsequently religious had taken part, , ordered return houses time being, not covered offer , chose not take advantage. @ cartmel of canons rebelled, possibly provoked holcroft personally, although prior stole away join king s forces @ preston. of rebel canons later hanged. rebellious feelings not confined north. @ lenton, near nottingham, abbot , of monks accused of verbal treason. executed , priory dissolved under act of attainder, rather dissolution acts. true @ whalley, although holcroft indirectly involved @ house, work , profits of dissolution being undertaken servant john bradyll. monks of furness involved in revolt, encouraging tenants , servants enlist. however, prudent enough capitulate and, when faced example of whalley, left unharmed.

vale royal had become riven political dissension long before dissolved, , 1529 inquiry, under reformer rowland lee, had deposed abbot , sought bring abbey under stricter discipline. dissolution became more certain, abbot john hareware or harwood began lease out abbey lands wholesale realise value could, coming direct conflict thomas cromwell, had himself appointed steward of vale royal. commissioner, holcroft accepted surrender of house on 7 september 1538. however, abbot challenged validity of holcroft s commission , denied surrender had taken place. holcroft responded litany of charges of sharp practice against abbot. claimed hareware had tried leases ante-dated , had tried sole permission remain in abbey. had got personal possession of abbey plate , numerous other items , cash, allegedly pay off creditors. holcroft pointed out abbot had run down property disastrously leasing demesne lands, depleting stock , felling 5000 trees. abbot , monks compelled leave in december. holcroft leased property , bought outright in 1544. tore down church , built substantial home family on site. vale royal became centre of landed interests , , successors styled of vale royal .

holcroft s use of lands enterprising, if not exploitative. bought 3 friaries job lot £126 in 1540, 1 of them alone fetched same sum when sold 3 years later, minus building stone, kept himself. lessee @ cartmel, tripled rents , made £250 rents alone.

as increasingly powerful landowner, holcroft natural candidate become high sheriff of lancashire in 1546. custos rotulorum of cheshire between 1548 , 1558, singular honour senior post in county s civil administration.