Kett's Rebellion

Kett’s Rebellion was an uprising in Norfolk in 1549 during the reign of Edward VI, mainly in response to the increasing enclosure of common land. Although the rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, it demonstrates the instability that underlay the reign of Edward VI and the entire middle Tudor period.

Who was ‘Kett’, what exactly did he want, and how was the rebellion put down?

Kett’s Rebellion timeline 1549

Here is a brief timeline of the events in Kett’s Rebellion.

Robert Kett

Robert Kett was a yeoman from Norfolk. Although the rebellion is named after him, he did not start the rebellion. As a local landowner, he was initially a target for the rebels.

He admitted that it was a mistake to erect the fences and agreed to take them down. Then he offered to lead the rebels and help them convince other landowners to take down their fences.

By the time the rebels got to Mousehold Heath, he commanded about 16,000 men. The tree under which he spoke to the rebels became known as the Oak of Reformation. Kett was eventually captured, imprisoned, and hanged for his involvement in the rebellion.

Image 1: Kett's Oak / the Oak of Reformation.

Ketts Rebellion: The policies of Edward Seymour

Fig. 2: Edward Seymour.

When Edward VI became king in 1547, he was only nine years old. He could not rule alone, so Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Edward’s uncle, was appointed Lord Protector. He would take care of the country’s day-to-day affairs until Edward was old enough to do so himself.

When he died, Henry VIII had left behind a complicated situation. Religion was perhaps the most unstable aspect. Although England was officially a Protestant country, the death of Henry VIII triggered fears of renewed Catholic uprisings. Economically, there was a shortage of jobs coupled with a growing population and crop failures. In addition, Henry VIII had nearly bankrupted the state after pursuing extravagant foreign policy goals, especially in the last years of his reign.

Edward Seymour largely fell short of his potential. His foreign policy efforts were largely unsuccessful. He failed to implement much-needed reforms to England’s financial situation. He lost the support of society’s poorer and landowning strata through the enclosure.

Ketts Rebellion: Enclosure

As the main reason for the rebellion, we need to understand enclosure. So what was it that made the common people so opposed to the enclosure that they instigated a rebellion?People felt eclosure it interfered with their ancient rights to work and farm the land. Enclosure mainly affected the poorest in society because they could not afford to buy land. Enclosure deprived them of any chance to grow food and earn a living.

Ketts Rebellion: Edward Seymour’s reaction

Edward Seymour tried to solve the problems that enclosure brought, especially in the face of crop failures that led to food shortages among the population. He sent commissioners to study the effects of the enclosure on food prices. However, this did more harm than good.When they saw that commissioners were being sent out, the poor gained hope for change. They expected legislation that would prevent the worst of the Enclosures. On the other hand, rural people were concerned the government blamed them for food shortages.The eventually introduced legislation increased the tax on wool and extended leases, which angered the rural population even more, as it affected their profits. On the other hand, the poor were upset because they expected even more reforms, which never came.

Edward Seymour’s attempts to mitigate the effects of the enclosures made him the enemy of two large segments of society. The common people, angry at the reforms, joined Kett's rebellion.

Kett’s Rebellion demands

Robert Kett drew up a petition for Edward Seymour and Edward VI, which listed the rebels’ demands. The petition contained 29 clauses and was written diplomatically and in a language that corresponded to the new religion.

The petition asked for:

• Limitation of the power of the nobility

• Restriction of the rapid economic change

• The prevention of the overuse of communal resources

• The reformation of clergy values in accordance with the Protestant faith.

Ketts Rebellion: Mousehold Heath and the Siege of Norwich

With Kett as their leader, the ever-growing group of rebels began marching to Norwich on 9 July. Denied entry into the city, they encamped on Mousehold Heath, just outside the city, on 12 July. It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 people participated in the rebellion at this time.

Ketts Rebellion: The Capture of Norwich

When Edward Seymour presented the rebels’ demands, he promised them a free pardon if they returned peacefully to their homes and threatened them with violence if they did not comply.

Kett and the rebels refused the offer of a pardon and again attempted to enter the city through a strategic point in the city’s defences. This time they were successful and Norwich, the second-largest city in England, fell into rebel hands.

Ketts Rebellion: Attempts at suppression

In Norwich, Kett established a new local government and tried cases accusing the nobility of injustice against the lower classes, and some were imprisoned.

News of Kett’s rebellion spread throughout East Anglia, and other minor riots and insurrections occurred throughout the region. Of course, the King could not let this go. The Marquis of Northampton was sent out with an army of 1400 men to retake the city. However, he was completely unsuccessful, and Kett held the city and parts of the surrounding countryside.Later in August, a much larger army was sent under the command of the Earl of Warwick. The army consisted of about 12,000 soldiers and 1200 German mercenaries. This force succeeded in penetrating the town, and after several days of bitter street fighting, the rebels were defeated and forced back into Mousehold Heath.

Ketts Rebellion: The Siege of Norwich

After the fighting in the city, Warwick and his troops were trapped and could not escape as the rebels surrounded the city. From then on, the rebels would sneak back into the city every night to steal food and supplies to keep the rebel army intact.

However, reinforcements soon arrived for Warwick’s army, and he now had the manpower to defeat the rebels once and for all. This also meant that the rebels were no longer able to get food and supplies from the city.

Kett decided to fight one last battle on 27 August 1549, known as the Battle of Dussindale. The battle was a disaster for the rebels. Thousands were killed and many simply fled. Eventually, the rebellion was crushed.Both Robert Kett and his brother William Kett were captured. Robert Kett was imprisoned, tried for treason and hanged on the walls of Norwich Castle.

Significance of Kett’s Rebellion

Kett’s Rebellion was significant because of its threat to Edward Seymour’s government. It is noteworthy that a rebel army, composed mostly of commoners, managed to defeat an army of the King, capture a large city and lay siege to it.