The Prelude to rebellion

Peasants Rebellion 1381

Although the Peasants Rebellion happened 69 years before the Jack Cade uprising, this would be in the memory of people, handed down by either parent or Grandparent. The people involved in this uprising were mainly geographically similar, so no doubt they would have been more cautious in their approach, in 1450.

Lords Mismanagement

The populations of South East England were more advanced in moving away from serfdom than the rest of the country. They had more independence and for a while, more affluence and social mobility. However, the Lords still ruled the roost. If we look at some of the court cases which appeared after the insurrection, we can see that some lords coerced and extorted from other with it seemed impunity.

  • Robert Est, a name we will come across again later, arrested Johanna Canon on 3rd Feb, 1448 and put her in Maidstone Gaol (yes that is how you spell it) for one day, until her husband, William, made the obligation to pay Robert the sum of £12.
  • James Fiennes, was accused threatening Reginald Peckham to be hanged, drawn and quartered unless Reginald Peckham agreed to exchange land in Seal, near Sevenoaks, for land much of a much lesser value. He even sent in his “heavies” to evict a man off his 250 acres of land in Elmley, on the Isle of Sheppey.

Religious Reform 

Some commoners found the clergy unpopular. The Lollards had a good foothold in the South East and they demanded reform of the church/religion, a sort of Proto Protestant movement. Although the Jack Cade Rebellion was not a religious one, it carried the similar values of reform, and did want the removal of certain clerical figures, who were advising the king. Bishop Adam Moleyns, a recent advisor to the King, went to pay the long overdue wages to the soldiers waiting at Portsmouth. When he was near, around 300 plus soldiers and sailors dragged him from his lodgings, forced a confession out of him and killed him.

Common Unrest

There was also general unrest from the common people. People posted bills up criticising leading figures, although literacy levels were low the people would have been aware of what they meant, to the extent an order went out for the bills removal and the imprisonment of the Bill Stickers. Open protest took place in Kent with up to 2,000 people headed towards Canterbury under the leadership of Thomas Cheyne (also known as Blewbeard). But the Canterbury Officials arrested Thomas when he arrived. Nicholas Jakes led a similar protest in London, both resulted in the same outcome, drawn, hanged and quartered!  In February 1450, a proclamation went out banning the carrying of weapons.

Kings Taxes

King Henry VI, had lost almost all of his lands in France and was in desperate need of money to enable him to keep the remainder and further unpopular taxes where raised to an already tax weary population. A trade embargo had stopped the export of wool, which was England’s and particularly the South East’s main export. Piracy on the sea was on the increase and some of the ships which took part in it belonged to certain lords.

A House Divided

Two factions of Lords began to form (a prelude to the Wars of the Roses) who vied for the Kings ear and patronage. One faction was headed by the Duke of Suffolk, the other led by the Duke of Gloucester, with Suffolk being in the ascendancy. In 1447, the undermined Suffolk took advantage of Parliament being held in his home county of Suffolk, had Gloucester arrested. Gloucester, aged about 60, died whilst he was incarcerated a few days later, which led to rumours that he was killed on Suffolk’s Orders.

Suffolk’s Downfall

When the French provinces of Maine and Anjou were lost to France, opposition to Suffolk grew and he knew that his time was short and on January 28th he was arrested and taken to London Tower. He was impeached in Parliament but the King intervened to save his favourite from the executioner by personally banishing him to Burgundy for 5 years. Suffolk, probably very relieved that he was being banished, agreed. He was set upon by a mob of Londoners and luckily escaped back to Suffolk before setting sail to Burgundy. His ship was intercepted and he was executed by unknown assailants.

Suffolk’s death was not mourned by many, but those who did looked at Kent as one of the areas responsible for his death and the rumour was that, Lord Saye had said, Kent was to be turned into a wild forest, in retribution for the Death of Suffolk.

The Story