The Court of General Surveyors was established during the reign of King

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, along with three other courts (those of Augmentations, First Fruit and Tenths, and Wards and Liveries) following the dissolution of the monasteries. Together, their primary functions were to gain better control over the land and finances formerly held by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the Kingdom of England and Wales. The Court of General Surveyors was established in 1540 and handled

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

lands confiscated as a result of the treason of their

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

s. The other monastic lands were dealt with by the Court of Augmentations, set up in 1536. These two courts were amalgamated in 1547, under the new name "Court of Augmentations and Revenues of the King's Crown" and the new court was then absorbed into the

Exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government reven ...

in 1553.

References

* Joyce A. Youings. "The Terms of the Disposal of the Devon Monastic Lands, 1536-58", in: ''The English Historical Review''; Vol. 69, No. 270 (Jan. 1954), pp. 18–38 Dissolution of the Monasteries Former courts and tribunals in England and Wales 1540 establishments in England 1547 disestablishments Courts and tribunals established in 1540 Courts and tribunals disestablished in 1547 {{UK-law-stub