The Dissolution of the Abbey
Amid the sweeping reform of church and state that took place under Henry VIII, it would be surprising if Polesworth, with its close reliance on the Abbey of St Editha, had been unaffected. Yet, during the early years of the Reformation, the Abbey continued to function as normal.
A royal commission of the time, after a visit to the village, stated that:
the Nunnery at Polesworth should stand and remayne unsuppressed... [for, if it were to close] the towne will shortly after fall into ruyne and dekaye...
In addition, the commission noted that thirty to forty children were being educated at the Abbey school and that a total of 38 people (including three priests and numerous servants) were living within the Abbey itself. In light of these findings, the Abbey was granted an exemption from dissolution in January, 1537, in return for a fee of £50.
Nevertheless, the Abbess, Alice Fitz-Herbert, voluntarily surrendered the Abbey just two years later. Although it is hard to say exactly what had happened, it appears that some kind of decline had taken place, as only fourteen nuns now remained in residence.