Editing Beverley (section)

===Reformation decline in Tudor times===
[[File:John Fisher (painting).jpg|thumb|right|upright|Local man Saint [[John Fisher]] was martyred in 1535]]
Beverley was reliant on pilgrimage, but changes brought about by the [[English Reformation|Reformation]] impacted upon this tradition, resulting in a decline in its status.<ref name="beverleyhistory"/> Local Beverley man [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[John Fisher]] was [[martyr]]ed along with [[Thomas More]] for refusing to accept the [[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] King [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] as Head of the [[Church of England]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wf-f.org/StJohnFisher.html|publisher=wf-f.org|title=Saint John Fisher, Bishop & Martyr|date=24 October 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510105239/http://www.wf-f.org/StJohnFisher.html|archive-date=10 May 2008|access-date=5 May 2008}}</ref> In October 1536, there was a [[Popular revolt in late medieval Europe|popular rising]] in Beverley where 500 men in the town gathered at the Westwood under the leadership of a local lawyer named William Stapleton, later becoming part of the larger [[Pilgrimage of Grace]] in York and, in turn, part of the 30,000 rebels opposing Henry's new religious laws.<ref name="beverleyhistory"/> Henry followed through with the break from [[Roman Catholic Church|Rome]] and the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]], dissolving the Dominican Friary in Beverley and taking their land for himself, the Knights Templars in Beverley suffered the same fate in 1540.<ref name="beverleyhistory"/>

As a result of the tensions across the [[Northern England|North of England]], governance duties were handed over to the [[Council of the North]] so the Tudors could control the area at arm's length.<ref name="POG">{{cite news|url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUDpilgrimgrace.htm |publisher=Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk |title=Pilgrimage of Grace |date=24 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424105551/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUDpilgrimgrace.htm |archive-date=24 April 2008 |access-date=5 May 2008}}</ref> Beverley was visited by [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]], the man known as the "father of [[English local history]]", he wrote of the town in some detail, estimating the population of the time at around 5,000.<ref name="beverleyhistory"/> [[Beverley Minster]] was threatened with demolition by its new owners who wanted to profit from selling its stone and lead, however the local people led by wealthy merchant Richard Gray saved it from this fate.<ref name="beverleyhistory"/> During the time of [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], Beverley was endowed with its own [[mayor]]; Edward Ellerker was the first to take this position.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.beverley.gov.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=476&SiteExtra=19749316&TopNavId=426&NavSideId=10754|publisher=Beverley Town Council|title=The Mayor of Beverley|date=24 October 2007|access-date=5 May 2008|archive-date=18 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218201559/http://www.beverley.gov.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=476&SiteExtra=19749316&TopNavId=426&NavSideId=10754|url-status=dead}}</ref> The gap between Beverley's rich and poor became more pronounced during the Tudor era, due to large [[unemployment]]. The substantial drop in pilgrimage to Beverley in honour of its founder John of Beverley affected the jobs of the [[working class]] as it was Beverley's main industry.<ref name="beverleyhistory"/>