and Lincoln. Several merchant
families emerged, the most successful of which was the Spring family. The
town's prosperity at this time can be seen in the lavishly constructed wool
church of St Peter and St Paul which stands on a hill top at the end of the
main high street. The church, completed in 1525, is excessively large for the
size of the village and with a tower standing 141 ft (43 m) high it lays
claim to being the highest village church tower in Britain. Other buildings
also demonstrate the town's medieval wealth. Lavenham Wool Hall was completed
in 1464. The Guildhall of the wool guild of Corpus Christi was built in 1529
and stands in the centre of the village overlooking the market square. When
visiting the town in 1487, Henry VII fined several Lavenham families for
displaying too much wealth. However, during the 16th century Lavenham's
industry was badly affected by Dutch refugees settled in Colchester, who
produced cloth that was cheaper and lighter than Lavenham's, and also more
fashionable. Cheaper imports from Europe also aided the settlement's decline,
and by 1600 it had lost its reputation as a major trading town. This sudden and
dramatic change to the town's fortune is the principal reason for so many
medieval and Tudor buildings remaining unmodified in Lavenham, as subsequent
generations of citizens did not have the wealth required to rebuild in the
latest styles.
During the reign of Henry VIII, Lavenham was the scene of serious resistance
to Wolsey’s ‘Amicable Grant’, a tax being raised in England to pay for war with
France. However, it was being done so without the consent of parliament. In
1525, 10,000 men from Lavenham and the surrounding villages took part in a
serious uprising which threatened to spread to the nearby counties of Essex and
Cambridgeshire. However, the revolt was suppressed for the King by the Dukes of
Norfolk and Suffolk, with the aid of local families. Elizabeth I visited the
