Through the Act of Supremacy in 1534 Henry VIII
declared himself the head of the Church in England, and anyone
who opposed him was charged with treason. To assess the state of
religious life in the country Henry ordered a thorough investigation
of every religious house. As a prelude to this he conducted a survey,
known as the Valor Ecclesiasticus, to evaluate all the
property that belonged to the Church in England and Wales - and
that he could later claim. This extensive survey was commonly
known as ‘the King’s Book’ .