The Peasants' Revolt of 1381

On July 15, 1381, John Ball, a leader in the Peasants' Revolt, was hanged, drawn, and quartered in the presence of Richard II of England. An excerpt from the text:

"A countrywide rebellion
It is generally thought that the revolt happened just in the south and east of the country, with the main events centring on London. Although it did start in Essex and Kent, and London, being the capital, bore the brunt of it, the revolt was by no means limited to this area. On 23 and 24 June, royal writs were issued demanding the rebels to be resisted, arrested, and punished in York, Bridgwater, Beverley, Scarborough, Kingston-upon-Hull, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Bath, Bristol and Oxford.

Many of these rebellions were inspired by the same issues that had caused the initial revolt in Essex, and also sought to address long-standing feuds between the townspeople and their perceived oppressors, be they members of the clergy or powerful and corrupt local officials. It is possible that many of these later outbreaks were directly caused by Richard’s letters, written at Mile End, and which legitimised the acts of the rebels. Perhaps, then, if Richard had not written the letters, or if he had withdrawn his support earlier, then many of those involved in these outbreaks would not have joined in, and the country would have been spared much of the revolt.

Repercussions
Wat Tyler wasn't the only rebel to be summarily executed in the following days and months. The government, keen to discourage anyone from rebelling again, set up commissions across the country to try, and execute, rebel leaders.


But many rebels weren't given a trial and were killed while fleeing or, in one case, when handing in a petition. Nor could those brought to trial expect any better. The commissions, although technically forming proper and fair courts of law, were for much of the country anything but. Many of the victims of the revolt sat on these commissions, and often acted as prosecution and judge. Several of the accused were illegally tried for treason, even though the definition didn't apply. Punishment could be severe, with hundreds being executed. John Ball was convicted on very scanty evidence and hanged, drawn and quartered in the presence of the king on 15 July 1381. Nothing was proved about his whereabouts during the revolt, and he was convicted on the basis that some letters he had written were found in a rebel’s pocket. His main crime seems to have been his criticism of those who abused their power. The Monk of Westminster recorded that:

The royal judges were now everywhere to be seen in session, inquiring into the activities of the conspirators and giving the guilty short shrift. Gibbets rose where none had been before, since existing ones were too few for the bodies of the condemned. Many who had been privy to the insurrection took to flight to avoid sharing the arrest and bitter fate suffered by others.
A general pardon was eventually made available to the rebels, but it had to be bought by each individual, after they had admitted to involvement in the rebellion.


Over 200 leaders and those considered to have committed terrible crimes were excluded from the pardon. Victims of the revolt were also able to receive compensation or the return of their goods directly from those responsible, allowing them to skip the normal judicial process. This led to corruption, with people naming those they disliked or using the opportunity to get more than they lost. One bishop accused six hundred people of stealing from him. The situation became so bad this right was withdrawn and normal judicial procedure resumed.

Although the Peasants' Revolt has been hailed as the beginning of the end of feudalism, it is unlikely it had any direct effect at all. Villeinage did in the end die out, although it was never officially abolished and continued into the Tudor period: Elizabeth I sold off some of her villeins to raise money. However, more and more tenants refused to undertake the work expected of them, or refused to take up tenancies with labour dues attached. This, combined with economic pressures such as a drop in the price of grain, meant more and more tenants would become ‘free’. John Ball’s role in the revolt led to a tightening by the church on wandering preachers and potential heresy, which had an impact on movements such as the Lollards.


This in turn led to the introduction in 1401 of burning at the stake as a punishment for heresy. Perhaps the biggest effect the revolt had was that it would be over 600 years before another poll tax was levied."