Kett's Rebellion

• Causes


  Enclosure, commonwealth men, population growth, poor harvest, debasement of the coinage
• Key Words: Enclosure


  The fencing or hedging off areas of land for private use that had once been available for common use
• Key Words: Engrossing


  The process of combining two or more farms together
• Key Words: Foldcourse


  A tradition that allowed landlords to use their tenants' lands and the common land to graze sheep. Led to tenants enclosing their arable lands to protect them from their landlord's sheep
• Key Words: Rack Renting


  A practice by landlords of rapidly increasing rents so that the tenants who were unable to pay could be evicted
• Causes: Enclosure


  Greater profits through sheep farming, needed due to rising prices, enclosing common lands
• Enclosure legislation


  1533 Sheep and Farms Act: restricted number of sheep per farmer to 2,400, 1549: Increased tax on sheep
• Examples of Enclosure


  Sir William Fermour owned 17,000 sheeps
• Limitations on Enclosure


  Impact dependent on location, necessary in areas e.g Norfolk to fertilise crops, stimulated Suffolk economy
• Causes: Commonwealth man


  Strong reformer faith, blamed enclosure for poverty, ideas influenced Somerset's commissions e.g Hugh Latimer and John Hales
• Causes: Population Growth


  Pressure on job market, wages fell, needed more land, increased unemployment led to vagrancy
• How much did the population increase by?

  2.3m to 3m 1521-51
• Vagrancy legislation


  1547 Vagrancy Act: Punished vagrants severely and couldn't be enforced
• Causes: Poor Harvest


  1545 and 1549, led to rising prices, booming wool and cloth market encouraged enclosure
• Causes: Debasement of the Coinage

  Caused prices rises, affected poor and unemployed, led to Somerset's commissions
• Hales' Bills


  1548-9: Tried to introduce bills to help socio-economic problems but defeated in parliament, Sheep tax only success
• First commission?


  June 1548, in Midlands, found little evidence of illegal enclosures as landowners didn't cooperate
• New Enclosure commissions


  1549: commissioners told to destroy illegal enclosures, was not allowed
• Consequences of Somerset's commissions?

  Alienated landed elite, commons thought Somerset on their side
• Where and how did rebellion start?

  Wymondham, when crowds destroyed Sir John Flowerdew's enclosures, Robert Kett sided with rebels and destroyed own enclosures
• Where did rebels set up camp?

  July 1549: Mousehold Heath, Norwich
• Why was Norwich the target?

  2nd largest city, administrative centre, guaranteed gov attention, large amounts of inequality
• Evidence of inequality in Norwich

  6% controlled 60% of the land and goods
• Role of the gentry?

  Rebels didn't try to persuade gentry to join rebellion
• Early dealings with officials?

  Rebel camp large so had upper hand, city council provided food for camp
• Role of Mayor of Norwich?

  Fortified the city but Rebels bombarded Norwich, rebels captured mayor and withdrew to Mousehold
• William Parr, Marquess of Northampton

  Rebels angrily refusing pardons, Led army and Italian Mercenaries, arrived in Norwich and offered pardon but only 20 accepted, rebels attacked Norwich again, Northampton forced to withdraw
• Earl of Warwick: How many men?

  12,000 men reached Norwich to begin negotiations
• Earl of Warwick: Tactics

  Offered pardon to all but Kett but angrily declined, arrested and executed some rebels, 1,000 mercenaries support, cut off rebels' supply line
• Earl of Warwick: Successes


  Kett captured, 3,000 rebels killed
• Rebels' Petition: Enclosure


  Was catalyst rather than cause, foldcourse was a bigger issue, resentment over power of landlords, rack renting
• Rebels' Petition: Social Structures

  Wanted to abolish roles of Escheater and Feodary, every corrupt officer to pay 4p for duration of rebellion, local officials to be chosen by people, Article 16: free all bondmen
• Rebels' Petition: Religion and Clergy

  Articles 2, 8, 15, 20 all relate to religion, sympathetic towards move to protestantism, concerned about education of clergymen
• Role of Earl of Warwick


  Realised rebellion could lead to fall of Somerset, had personal links Kett was his tenant, army were strong and successful, made men take oath to destroy rebellion
• How many of Warwick's men died?

  Only 40
• Role of Duke of Somerset


  Leadership style dicatoral, bypassed council, gave mixed messages to rebels e.g letter sent, negotiations, council resented his power
• Role of Robert Kett

  Respected by local community, charismatic, managed to organise 16,000 men, Oak of Reformation, was not a military man, panicked and moved to Dussindale
• Extent of threat: Weaknesses of Somerset's gov


  Norfolk arrested in 1546 so couldn't defend the region, Real threat to gov and structure, rebellion large, Gov resources stretched, rebels saw off professional army, gentry lacked leadership
• Extent of threat: Organisation of Rebels


  Well organised, sustained camp for 6 weeks, local autorities cooperated, Mousehold seen as new admin centre for city
• Extent of threat: Limited?

  Rebellion supressed and order restored, did not aim to abolish hierarchy, didn't march to London, no match for well organised soldiers