Kett's Rebellion

Kett’s Rebellion

The Kett rebellion began in 1549 under the reign of Edward VI and the predominant causes for it were economic and local issues, especially that of enclosures. During this time there became an agricultural crisis in Tudor England where the main source of livelihood and income for common people came from the land in which they were able to grow crops and rear animals on. However during this period wealthy landowners saw that there were more profits to be made from sheep rearing, due to the increase in want and trade for cloth in England, so switched from growing crops to sheep farming. This meant landowners began enclosing off land, which before had been available for all villagers to use and cultivate, causing life to become increasingly difficult. Due to land being closed off unrest soon followed with villagers and rebels tearing down enclosures and fences in protest, with local governments inefficiently acting against protesters or enclosures. Although, on the 14th of June 1549 Edward outwardly pardoned rebels for tearing down enclosures and Protector Somerset was a keen supporter of anti-enclosure measures, so rioters believed that there were not acting illegally and had government support.

In July 1549 the rebellion began in the town of Wymondham where there were two wealthy landowners who had both enclosed off their land – Flowerdew and Kett. Between the 6th and 8th of July a great feast was held at the village, being a trigger cause for the people’s unrest, and angry they decided to protest their cause. The rebels firstly set off to Hethersett where Flowerdew was based and highly unpopular not only because of the enclosures, but he also oversaw the demolition of Wymondham Abbey. However Flowerdew managed to bribe the rioters to leave his land alone and instead go to Kett’s. The rioters agreed and went to tear down and attack Kett’s enclosures and lands. However instead of fighting the rioters Kett agreed he was wrong for shutting off his land and even helped them tear down his own fences before leading them back to Hethersett where they demolished Flowerdew’s.

This event marked Kett as the leader of the rioters and on the 9th of July they set out for Norwich, which was the second largest city in England at the time. By the 10th the rioters had reached Norwich and set camp at Mousehold Heath, putting them at an advantage point where they were able to look down on Norwich. Joined by people of different villages and even support from locals in Norwich, the crowd at Mousehold Heath swelled to 16,000 people (around the same number as the population of Norwich itself at the time). Due to the vast number of rioters the government knew they had to act cautiously with them as to not cause outright destruction of Norwich. Kett and the rioters were met with various gentry, including the mayor of Norwich who politely asked them to disperse and offered them pardon, to which was refused. The last was the York Herald, who arrived on the 21st of July and once again offered a pardon to all those who dispersed, however Kett declined saying they had committed no crime and the Herald was forced to retreat.

Both the rebels and Norwich prepared for conflict. Kett and his followers open fired with artillery on the city, and on the 22nd of July at first light the crowd attacked Norwich. City defences tried with showers of arrows to hold back the rebels, however failed and by the evening Kett and his followers had control of the second largest city in England. Somerset sent an army of 1,800, including Italian mercenaries, under the control of the Marquis of Northampton who was told to negotiate with the rebels. They arrived on the 30th of July and occupied Norwich to which Northampton offered a full pardon to those who dispersed, but the rioters were set on rebellion, and yet again refused. Northampton did not display his full authority appropriately and Kett was left with no option, but to attack the army. The rebels had the advantage of fighting in the narrow streets and with the vast number of them, were able to fight the army even killing Lord Sheffield. They were able to recapture Norwich and with losing a senior commander and his army being broken up, Northampton was forced to retreat back to London after his disastrous attempt at quelling the rebels.

Northampton’s incompetent handling of the situation created crisis in government and they saw stronger force had to be used in order to defeat Kett. The Earl of Warwick (John Dudley) was put in control of an army of 12,000 men, who arrived outside Norwich on the 23rd of August. The Earl’s pardon was yet again refused and for the next three days the army began to wear down the resistant rebels. On the 26th of August Kett then made the mistake to move from their defended position at Mousehold Heath and take up defences in the valley of Dussindale. The Earl’s army then joined by a further 1,000 foreign mercenaries, some from Germany and Spain, then defeated the rebels on the 27th of August, with up to 3,000 being killed and subsequently Kett being arrested and Warwick’s army losing 350.

Kett was tried for treason and on the 7th of December was hung from Norwich castle and left to rot. Many Norfolk gentry wanted all rebels found responsible for taking part hung, however the Earl of Warwick said the rebels had been dealt accordingly with the law and was surprisingly lenient on them, with on 49 executions being recorded. Subsequently it can be argued that the Kett rebellion was partly responsible for the removal of Protector Somerset. His support of anti-enclosure measures gained him the reputation of the commons friend and his failure to immediately crush the rebellion, when in some cases it is seen as his fault it began, sealed his fate. The Earl of Warwick’s (who will later be Northumberland) success in defeating the rebellion gained him substantial political credibility and status, enabling him to gain extra support when he tried to become ruler in January 1550. Harsher laws were also enforced on those found tearing down enclosures.