The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 History in Depth
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The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 History in Depth GENERAL EDITOR: Gwyn A. Williams D. S. Chambers: Patrons and Artists in the Italian Renaissance R. B. Dobson: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 W. N. Hargreaves-Mawdsley: Spain under the Bourbons 1700-1833 Roger Mettam: Government and Society in Louis XIV's France J. R. Pole: The Revolution in America 1754-1788 H. C. Porter: Puri.tanism in Tudor England Jane Rendall: The Origins of the Scottish Enlightenment 1707-1776 Edward Royle: The Infidel Tradition from Paine to Bradlaugh Dorothy Thompson: The Early Chartists Henry S. Wilson: Origins of West African Nationalism The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 R. B. DOBSON Professor of History, University of York Second Edition M MACMILLAN To my mother and in memory of my father Selection and editorial matter © R. B. Dobson 1970, 1983 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 2nd edition 1983 978-0-333-25504-9 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission First Edition 1970 Second Edition 1983 Reprinted 1989 Published by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 978-0-333-25505-6 ISBN 978-1-349-16990-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-16990-0 The paperback edition of this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or oth.;rwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xi GENERAL EDITOR'S PREFACE X111 PREFACE xv INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION XIX INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION I NOTE ON TRANS LA TIONS 32 THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE REVOLT 36 LIST OF AUTHORITIES 45 PART I: The Background to the Peasants' Revolt I The Character of the English according to John Trevisa 53 2 The Lay Population of English Counties and Towns according to the Poll Tax Returns of 1377 and 1381 54 3 The Clerical Population of English Dioceses according to the Poll Tax Returns of 1377 and 1381 58 4 The Black Death of 1348-9 according to Henry Knighton 59 5 The Statute of Labourers, 1351 63 6 The Enforcement of the Statute of Labourers: 69 A. According to Henry Knighton B. Trespasses on the Statute of Labourers, 1373-5 C. A Preference for Bond Service, 1350 7 Commons' Petition against Vagrants, 1376 72 8 Peasant Discontents and Resistance before 1381: 75 A. Commons' Petition against Rebellious Villeins, 1377 B. The Bocking Petition, c. 1300-30 C. Revolt of the Villeins of Darnall and Over, 1336 9 Political Protest in the Good Parliament of 1376 83 10 Poem on the Death of Edward III 88 II A Disastrous Start to a New Reign, 1377: according to the Vita Ricardi II 91 12 Desertion from the English Army, 1380 94 13 Proposals to protect Shipping at London, 13 80 95 14 John Gower foresees the Peasants' Revolt 97 vi THE PEASANTS' REVOLT OF 1381 PART II: The Three Poll Taxes and the Outbreak of Revolt IS The Grant of the First Poll Tax, 1377: 103 A. According to Thomas Walsingham B. According to the Rolls of Parliament 16 The Grant of the Second Poll Tax, 1379: according to the Anonimalle Chronicle 105 17 The Northampton Parliament of 1380 and the Grant of the Third Poll Tax: according to the Rolls of Parliament III 18 Appointment of Commissioners to enforce payment of the Third Poll Tax, March 1381 II9 19 The Outbreak ofthe Revolt according to theAnonimalle Chronicle 123 20 The Outbreak of the Revolt according to Thomas Walsingham 13 1 21 The Outbreak of the Revolt according to Henry Knighton 135 22 The Outbreak of the Revolt according to Froissart 137 23 The Rebels in Canterbury according to Jurors' Present- ments 145 24 The Indictment of two Essex rebels 148 PART III: The Rebels in London, 13-1sjune 1381 2S The Rebels in London according to the Anonimalle Chronicle ISS 26 The Rebels in London according to Thomas Walsing- ham 168 27 The Rebels in London according to Henry Knighton 181 28 The Rebels in London according to Froissart 187 29 The Peasants', Revolt according to the 'monk of West- minster 199 30 The Peasants' Revolt according to the Continuator of the Eulogium Historiarum 204 31 The Peasants' Revolt according to City of London Letter Book H 208 CONTENTS VU 32 The Treachery of London Aldermen according to the London Sheriffs' Inquisitions: 212 A. The inquisition of 20 November 1382 B. The inquisition of 4 November 1382 33 The Indictment of Walter atte Keye, Brewer, of Wood Street, London 226 34 Royal Letters of Pardon to Paul Salesbury of London 228 PART IV: The Rising in the Eastern Counties 35 The Risings in the Eastern Counties according to the Anonimalle Chronicle 235 36 The Risings in the Eastern Counties according to Henry Knighton 237 37 The Rising in Cambridge according to the Rolls of Parliament 239 38 John Wrawe and the Burgesses of Bury St Edmunds according to Thomas Walsingham 243 39 The Depositions ofJohn Wrawe 248 40 Two Suffolk Rebels and the 'Great Society' 254 41 The Revolt in Norfolk according to Thomas Walsing- ham 256 42 The Death of Sir Robert Salle according to Froissart 261 PART V: Elsewhere in England 43 The Rebels at St Albans according to Thomas Walsing- ham 269 44 Panic in Leicester according to Henry Knighton 277 45 The Bridgwater Rising: 279 A. According to the pardon of Thomas Engilby B. According to the accusations against Sir William Coggan 46 The Riots at York: 284 A. According to a parliamentary petition, November-December 1380 B. According to the York 'Memorandum Book' C. According to the York jurors' presentments, August 1381 47 The Riots at Scarborough 289 48 The Riots at Beverley 294 VID THE PEASANTS' REVOLT OF 1381 49 Rising of the Villeins of the Abbot of Chester 297 50 Rising of the Tenants of the Priory of Worcester 299 p ART VI: Suppression and Survival 51 'The Ax was Scharp' 305 52 The Suppression of the Revolt according to the Anonimalle Chronicle 305 53 The Suppression of the Revolt according to Thomas Walsingham 306 54 The Suppression of the Revolt according to Henry Knighton 3 13 55 The Suppression of the Revolt according to Froissart 315 56 Royal Commission to keep the Peace in London, 15 June 1381 317 57 The Trial and Pardon ofJohn Awedyn of Essex 319 58 A Tall Story: Oxfordshire Rebels as French Agents 321 59 A New Conspiracy in Kent, September 1381: John Cote's Confession 322 60 Post-mortem and Pardon: the Westminster Parliament of November-December 1381 325 61 The Persistence of Revolt: 333 A. A conspiracy in Norfolk, 1382 B. An abortive rising in Kent, 1390 C. An attack upon property in London, 1412 62 The Complaints and Requests of the Commons of Kent, 1450 336 63 The Disappearance of English Villeinage: 342 A. Royal Manumissions in Yorkshire, 1338 B. Manumission by the Bishop of Hereford, 1419 C. Bondsmen not to enjoy the Liberties of the City of London, 1387 D. Parliamentary Petition to enforce Villein Disabilities, 1391 64 The Twelve Articles of Memmingen, 1525 346 PART VII: Interpretations o.f the Peasants' Revolt 65 A 'Wamying to Be Ware' 357 66 'Tax Has Tenet Us AIle' 358 CONTENTS IX 67 The Causes of the Revolt according to Sir Michael de la Pole. 1383 362 68 The Causes of the Revolt according to Thomas Walsingham: Jack Straw's Confession 363 69 The Causes of the Revolt according to Froissart 369 70 The Significance ofJohn Ball: 372 A. John Ball according to Thomas WaIsingham B. Ball and Wycliffe according to Henry Knighton C. Ball and Wycliffe according to the Fasciculi Zizaniorum 71 The Literature of Protest: 379 A. John Ball's letter to the Essex Commons B. The letters of Jakke Mylner, Jakke Carter, Jakke Trewman andJohn Ball C. Song of the 'Yorkshire Partisans', 1392 D. A Song of Freedom, c. 1434 E. 'Cryste may send now sych a Yere', c. 1450 F. Song of the Kentish Rebels, 1450 72 Geoffrey Chaucer and the Peasants' Revolt 386 73 John Gower and the Peasants' Revolt 387 74 The Life and Death ofJacke Strawe. 1593 389 75 Edmund Burke and the Peasants' Revolt 392 76 Thomas Paine and the Peasants' Revolt 394 77 Robert Southey's Wat Tyler 396 78 Engels on the Peasant Risings of the Middle Ages 399 79 William Morris's Dream ofJohn Ball 403 BIBLIOGRAPHY 405 ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY 413 INDEX 421 LIST OF MAPS England in 138 I 100 London in 1381 152 Eastern England in 1381 23 2 Acknowledgements I am grateful to the copyright owners and publishers ofthe follow ing volumes, who have kindly given permission to reproduce excerpts in the original or translation: Columbia University Press, New York, Chaucer's World, com piled by E. Rickert; Historical Poems of the XWth and XVth Centuries, ed. R. H. Robbins. Longmans, Green & Co., England under the Lancastrians, ed. J. H. Flemming. Manchester University Press, The Anonimalle Chronicle, 1333-1381, ed. V. H. Galbraith. Oxford University Press, Fourteenth Century Verse and Prose, ed. K. Sisam; The Great Revolt of 1381, by C. Oman. Translations from Crown-copyright records in the Public Record Office, London, are printed by permission of the Controller of H.M. Stationery Office.