Page "Abbot" Paragraph 43

In the Church of England, the Bishop of Norwich, by royal decree given by Henry VIII, also holds the honorary title of " Abbot of St.

Benet.

" This title hails back to England's separation from the See of Rome, when King Henry, as supreme head of the newly independent church, took over all of the monasteries, mainly for their possessions, except for St. Benet, which he spared because the abbot and his monks possessed no wealth, and lived like simple beggars, disposing the incumbent Bishop of Norwich and seating the abbot in his place, thus the dual title still held to this day.