Edward VI of England church property that had begun under Henry VIII resumed under Edward—notably with the dissolution of the chantries—to the great monetary advantage of the crown and the new owners of the seized property. Church reform was therefore as much a political as a religious policy under Edward VI. By the end of his reign, the church had been financially ruined, with much of the property of the bishops transferred into lay hands. The religious convictions of both Somerset and Northumberland have proved elusive for historians, who are divided on the sincerity of their Protestantism. There is less doubt, however, about the
Edward Villiers (Master of the Mint) George Villiers, succeeded as 3rd and 4th Viscounts Grandison. His fourth son, Sir Edward Villiers, was the father of Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey. Villiers's widow, Barbara, died in 1672. Edward Villiers (Master of the Mint) Sir Edward Villiers (c.1585 – 7 September 1626) was an English nobleman, diplomat, office-holder, knight, and politician from the Villiers family who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1625. Edward Villiers, born about 1585, was the second son of Sir George Villiers by his first wife, Audrey Saunders (d.1587), the daughter and heir of William Saunders (d. 14 July 1582)