ABSTRACT
Popular culture, deeply entwined with the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church, was bound to be affected by the religious changes of the sixteenth century. But the Reformation was not an isolated force destroying a “Merrie England” that might otherwise have survived intact. Culture is dynamic, a process, not a static pattern of customs. Some practices were already in decline before the Reformation. At the same time the advent of printing introduced new forms of popular expression. The Reformation was one of a number of influences, albeit a very important one, contributing to an evolving cultural landscape.
