A Comprehensive History of Norwich

by A. D. Bayne

Small credit is here given to the city for the patronage and promotion of intellectual pursuits.

KETT’S REBELLION.

In 1549 the city was the scene of an insurrection resembling that of the Jacquerie in France, and the War of the Peasants in Germany. The facts of this local rebellion were simple enough. The poor people objected to the enclosure of waste lands, in the neighbourhood of Attleborough and Wymondham, by the nobility and gentry, who had been put in possession of the abbey lands, which had been previously appropriated for the use of the poor, who still considered that they had a right of commonage on the waste lands and open pastures. The rebellion commenced at Eccles, Wilby, Attleborough, and the neighbouring villages, the inhabitants of which were enraged at Mr. John Green, lord of the manor of Wilby, who had enclosed that part of the common belonging to his manor, which had from time immemorial been open to the adjoining commons of Hargham and Attleborough, and in which the people had enjoyed all rights of intercommoning with each other. The people continued quiet till Wymondham fair, on July 7th, when they collected in large numbers. The leaders of the movement, accompanied by a large number of others, went to Morley, about a mile from Wymondham, and laid open the new enclosures; and on returning to Wymondham, they destroyed all the fences by which the commons and wastes were enclosed. John Flowerdew, of Hethersett, incensed at the destruction of his fences, gave forty pence to a number of the country people to throw down the fences of Robert Kett, alias Knight, whose pasture lay near Wymondham Fairstead. They carried out his wishes to the full, and on the following morning returned to Hethersett, where, at Kett’s instigation, they laid open other enclosures of Flowerdew’s. After this, the rioters appointed Robert Kett and his brother William, a butcher, to be their captains, and the movement soon assumed the form of an organized rebellion. The numbers of the rebels quickly increased, and marching on Mousehold Heath, they took possession of the mansion of the Earl of Surrey; and thence proceeded to lay siege to the city. They held courts of justice under a large tree, called the “Oak of Reformation:” and having augmented their numbers to 16,000 from the citizens, and strongly fortified their camp, they summoned the city to surrender. For months they maintained hostilities, and the country round was pillaged and laid waste, until at length they gained an entrance to the city, and took the mayor and several councillors prisoners to their camp. A strong force was thereupon sent down for the defence of the city, under the Marquis of Northampton, and a regular battle was fought at the base of the hill on St. Martin’s Palace Plain. In this engagement Lord Sheffield was slain; and the rebels, having forced the Marquis to retreat, plundered the city, and set fire to it in many parts. In short, all attempts to quell this violent insurrection were ineffectual, till a large army, which had been raised to proceed against the Scots, was ordered to march to the relief of Norwich, under the command of the Earl of Warwick, who arrived under the city walls on the 23rd of August. On the following day, after making an ineffectual offer of pardon to the insurgents, on the condition that they should lay down their arms, the king’s troops commenced their attack; and having made several breaches in the walls, and forced open some of the gates, they soon entered the city, and took possession of the Market Place. In the midst of this scene of blood, the king’s ammunition carriages, having entered apart from the main body of the army, were captured by the enemy, but were soon retaken by a detachment from the Market Place. A large body of the rebels still remaining in the city now made a lodgement on Tombland, and through their superior local knowledge, greatly annoyed the soldiers by posting small parties at the angles of the different streets leading to the Market. The Earl of Warwick, however, brought out his whole force to scour the city, and the rebels, after setting fire to their camp, were obliged to quit their post on the hill and retreat to Dussyn’s Dale, on Mousehold, resolving to finish the business by a general engagement in the valley.

On August 27th, being re-enforced by a newly-arrived detachment of troops, the Earl marched out of the city to attack the rebels, to whom he again offered pardon, provided they would quietly lay down their arms; but, confident in their numbers, they refused to capitulate. A bloody conflict ensued, but the rebels, being unaccustomed to the discharge of artillery, were soon in confusion. Of this the Light Horse took advantage, and advancing to the charge, drove the rebels from the field and pursued them with great slaughter. Over 3000 were killed, and about 300 of the ringleaders were afterwards executed. The gates of the city suffered much damage during this insurrection. The rebels set Bishop’s gate on fire, with some of the houses in the street, and those belonging to the Great Hospital. Pockthorpe, Magdalen, St. Augustine, Coslany, and Ber Street gates, shared the same fate. When the disturbances ceased, the repair of the city generally was commenced, and especially of the gates. Outside Magdalen Gates a gallows was erected, at which place and at the cross in the Market Place 300 rebels were executed. Two, styled prophets, were hanged, drawn, and quartered, their heads being placed on the towers, and their quarters on the gates.

Robert and William Kett were tried in London for high treason and rebellion, and convicted. On November 29th, they were delivered to Sir Edmund Windham, High Sheriff of the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, to receive punishment. Robert was conveyed to Norwich, and being brought to the foot of the castle, was drawn up to a gibbet erected at the top, and there left hanging alive till he died by famine; and his body, being entirely wasted, at length fell down. A similar sentence was executed upon William, who was suspended alive upon the top of Wymondham steeple. This fearful rebellion having been thus brought to an end, the citizens, after the departure of the kings troops, began to repair the damages to the walls and gates. Unhappily, however, their trials were not yet over, for the late disastrous occurrences were followed by such a scarcity and dearness of provisions, that the corporation issued an edict, requiring all the wealthier inhabitants to find corn for their own households elsewhere, so that their poorer neighbours might have the exclusive benefit of the city markets.

QUEEN MARY.

The Princess Mary was proclaimed here on July 18th, 1553, and was the first English Queen in her own right, and the people of Norwich and Norfolk rushed to her standard, impelled by the memory of Kett’s rebellion. The queen was a bigoted Roman Catholic, and in her reign popery was revived in its worst form, associated with all the atrocities of the most sanguinary persecution. Protestants were gathered like fuel for burning; and as for the Puritans, no fate could be too severe for them.

In March, 1556, William Carman, of Hingham, was burnt in Lollards’ pit, outside of Bishop’s Gate. He was charged with being an obstinate heretic, and actually having in his possession a bible, a testament, and three psalters in the English tongue.

On July 13th, of the same year, Simon Miller, merchant of Lynn, and Elizabeth Cooper, a pewterer’s wife, of the parish of St. Andrew, were burnt together in Lollards’ pit. On August 5th, Richard Crashfield, of Wymondham, Thomas Carman, William Seaman, and Thomas Hudson, were burnt for heresy in the same place.

On July 10th, 1557, Richard Yolman, a devout old minister, seventy years of age, was burnt for heresy. He had been curate to that learned and pious martyr, Mr. Taylor, of Hadleigh.