VI. A. D. 1549. Edward God hath given, our father left, our good uncle and council preserved unto us? What greater evil could ye commit, than even now, when our foreign enemy in Scotland, and upon the sea, seeketh to invade us, to rise in this manner against our law? to provoke so justly our wrath, to ask our vengeance, and to give us occasion to spend that force upon you, which we meant to bestow upon our enemies? to begin to slay you with that sword which we drew against the Scots and other enemies? to make a conquest of our own people, which otherwise should have been of the whole realm of Scotland? False rumours priests stirred up the king. Thus far, ye see, we have descended from our high majesty for love, to consider you in your base and simple ignorance, and have been content to send you an instruction like a fatherly prince, who, of justice, might have sent you your destruction like a king to rebels. And now we let you know, that as ye see our mercy abundant, so, if ye provoke us further, we swear to you by the living God, by whom we reign, ye shall feel the power of the same God in our sword, which how mighty it is, no subject knoweth; how puissant it is, no private man can judge; how mortal it is, no English heart dare think. But surely, surely, as your lord and prince, your only king and master, we say to you, Repent yourselves, and take our mercy withont delay; or else, we will forthwith extend our princely power, and execute our sharp sword against you, as against very infidels and Turks, and rather adventure our own royal person, state, and power, than the same shall not be executed. And, if ye will prove the example of our mercy, learn of certain which lately did arise, pretending some griefs, and yet, acknowledging their offences, have not only received most humbly their pardon, but feel also, by our order, to whom all public order only pertaineth, redress devised for their griefs. In the end we admonish you of your duties to God, whom ye shall answer in the day of the Lord; and of your duties towards us, whom ye shall answer by our order; and take our mercy whilst God so inclineth us; lest, when ye shall be constrained to ask, we shall be too much hardened in our heart to grant it you; and whereas ye shall now hear of mercy-mercy and life!-ye shall then hear of justice-justice and death! Given at Richmond, the eighth day of July, the third year of our reign. Besides the articles of these Devonshire men above mentioned, the said rebels sent up also, not long after, a supplication to the king, whereunto answer again was made by the king's learned council, which here, to make short, leisure serveth not to rehearse. Over and besides, to behold the malicious working of those popish by popish priests, to kindle more the spark of sedition in the people's hearts, what bruits and rumours did they raise up against the king and his council, making the vulgar multitude to believe, that they should be made to pay, first for their sheep, then for their geese and pigs also, and other like things; and whatsoever they had in store, or should put in their mouths, they must fine there-for to the king! of all which matter never a word was either thought or meant. But this seemed matter fit for such priests, whereby to set the prince and his subjects together by the ears. Sir John Russell. Against this seditious company of rebels, was appointed and sent by the king and his council, sir John Russell, knight, lord privy seal, as lieutenant general of the king's army, on whom chiefly depended the charge and achievance of that voyage in the west parts. To him also were adjoined, as in part of ordinary council in those affairs under him, sir William Herbert, sir Johan Pawlet, sir Hugh Pawlet, sir Thomas Speck, with the lord Gray, and others beside. Thus the said lord privy seal, accompanied with the lord Gray, advancing his power against the rebels, although in number of soldiers not equally furnished like to the others, yet, through the gracious VI. assistance of the Lord's help, fighting in his cause, and giving the Edward adventure against the enemy, about the latter end of July, A.D. 1549, gave them the repulse; who, notwithstanding, recovering themselves A.D. again with such stomachs as they had, encountered the second time 1549. with the aforesaid lord privy seal, about the beginning of August The following, by whom, through the Lord's mighty power, they, with discomtheir whole cause of false religion, were utterly vanquished and quite overthrown. rebels fited. goodness in the them. In that victory a great work of God's mighty power undoubtedly Great did appear; for, although the number of the rebels did surmount, in of God great quantity, the power and strength of the lord privy seal, and victory their stomachs were so fiercely set upon all desperate adventures; against and though the power of sir William Herbert (being the same time at Bristol) was not yet presently come, which should have joined with the lord privy seal; yet, all this notwithstanding, the goodness of the Lord so wrought on the king's behalf, more than any industry of man (which in all respects in handling that matter was very raw, and far behind) that the victory fell to the king's part, under the Laudable valiant guiding of the aforesaid lord privy seal; so that the popish the lord rebels not only lost the field, but a great part of them also lost their privy lives, lying there slain miserably in the chase, to the compass of two miles' space. Where also were taken and apprehended the chieftains and ringleaders of that mischievous dance, whereof the principal were Humfrey Arundel, Berry, Thomas Underhil, John Soleman, William Segar; Tempson and Barret two priests; Henry Bray and Henry Lee, two mayors; with divers others more above specified; all who, accordingly, afterwards were executed.' service of seal. False trust of men in disap The sa These rebels, to make their part more sure by the help and presence of their consecrated god and maker, brought with them, into the Dethe battle, the pix under his canopy; and instead of an altar, where vonshire he was hanging before, set him now riding in a cart. Neither were their pothere lacking masses, crosses, banners, candlesticks, with holy bread pish idols also, and holy water plenty, to defend them from devils, and all adver- pointed. sary power; who, in the end, neither could help their friends, nor yet crament could save themselves from the hands of their enemies, but, eftsoons, in the pi both the consecrated god, and all the trumpery about him, were taken to the in the cart, and there lay all in the dust, leaving to them a notable lesson of bitter experience, how to put their confidence hereafter in no such vain idols, but only in the true living God and immortal Maker, to be served according to his prescribed word; and that only in the faith of his Son, and not after their own dreaming fantasies. pix battle in a cart. borough The story whereof putteth me also in remembrance of another Mussellike popish field called Musselborough field, fought in Scotland the field in year before this, where the Scots likewise encamping themselves Scotland. against the lord protector, and the king's power sent into Scotland, did, in semblable wise, bring with them to the battle, the consecrated gods of their altars, with masses, crosses, banners, and all their popish stuff of idolatry; having great affiance, by virtue thereof, to have a great day against the English army, as indeed, in man's judgment, it (1) In a work entitled 'All suche Proclamacions, as have been sette furthe by the Kynges Maiestie,' &c., [Lond. 1550. 8vo. Printed by Richard Grafton,] is the Proclamation for the punishment of these rebels.-ED. VI. God's mighty arm Edward might seem not unlike. For the number of the Scots' army so far exceeded ours, and they were so appointed with their pikes in the A.D. first front against our horsemen (who gave the first onset), that our 1549. men were fain to recule, not without the loss of divers gentlemen. Notwithstanding, the mighty arm of the Lord so turned the victory, that the Scots, in the end, with all their masses, pixes, and idolatrous fighting trinkets, were put to the worse of whom in that field were slain the Scots, between thirteen and fourteen thousand, and not passing a hundred trusted Englishmen. The cause of this was the promise of the said Scots, in their made before to king Henry, for the marriage of the young Scottish and sacra- queen to king Edward, which promise the said Scots afterwards brake, the altar. and paid thereafter. against who masses A stir in Bucking In that victory this is also to be noted, that the same day and hour when the images were burned openly in London, the Scots were put to flight in Musselborough, as is credibly noted in records. During this hurly-burly amongst the popish rebels in Cornwall shire and and Devonshire, the like commotion at the same time, by such like hamshire, popish priests as Holmes and his fellows, began to gender in the parts of Oxford and Buckingham; but that was soon appeased by the lord Gray, who, coming down that way into Devonshire, chased the rebels to their houses; of whom two hundred were taken, and a dozen of the ringleaders delivered unto him, whereof certain were after executed. Rebellion in Nor tions In Norfolk and parts thereabout, albeit the original of their tumulfolk. tuous stirring was not for the like cause, yet the obstinate hearts of that unruly multitude seemed no less bent upon mischief, to disturb public peace, which was also in the month of July, the year abovesaid. For repression of that rebellion, first was sent the lord marquis Instruc- of Northampton, with special instruction to avoid the fight; and so, given to by order, was appointed with a number of horse to keep the field the lord and passages, whereby they, being stopped from victual, might the sooner be brought to acknowledge their folly, and to seek their pardon; who then, following other policy than by order was given, came and pinned himself within the city of Norwich, which afterwards they were fain to abandon, the rebels pressing upon the city so on every side, that at length they obtained the same. NeverThe lord theless, in all that conflict there were but a hundred on both sides Sheffield slain, and otherwise no great loss, but only the loss of the lord Norwich. Sheffield. marquis. slain at The re Norfolk ed. Then was sent down against them the earl of Warwick, with suffibels of cient force and number of soldiers, besides the convoy of two thousuppress- sand Almains, by whom the rude and confused rabble were there overthrown and slain, to the number, as is supposed, of four thousand at least and, in fine, both the Kets, chief stirrers and authors of that commotion, were taken and put to execution, and one of them hanged up in chains. Another rebellion in York shire. Moreover, besides these inordinate uproars and insurrections above mentioned, about the latter end of the said month of July the same year, which was 1549, another like stir or commotion began at Seamer, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, and continued in the East Riding of the same, and there ended. The principal doers and raisers up of this insurrection were one William Ombler of East Allerton, yeoman; VI. and Thomas Dale, parish clerk of Seamer; with one Stevenson of Edward Seamer, neighbour to Dale, and nephew to Ombler. This Stevenson was a mean or messenger between the said Ombler and Dale, being A. D. before not acquainted together, and dwelling seven miles one from 1549. the other; who at last, by the travail of the said Stevenson and their own evil disposition, inclined to ungraciousness and mischief knowing before, one the other's mind by secret conference, were brought to talk together on St. James's day, A.D. 1549. moving to rebel prophecy the how to their pur pose. The causes moving them to raise this rebellion, were these: First Causes and principally, their traitorous hearts, grudging at the king's most the Yorkhonourable proceedings, in advancing and reforming the true honour shire men of God, and his religion. Another cause also was, for trusting to lion. a blind and a fantastical prophecy, wherewith they were seduced, thinking the same prophecy should shortly come to pass, by hearing the rebellions of Norfolk, Devonshire, and other places. The tenor A blind of which prophecy, and purpose together of the traitors was, "That amongst there should no king reign in England; that the noblemen and gen- Northern tlemen should be destroyed, and the realm should be ruled by four men. governors, to be elected and appointed by the commons holding a parliament; in a commotion to begin at the south and north seas of England," &c.: supposing that this their rebellion in the North, and the other of the Devonshire men in the West, meeting (as they intended) at one place, should be the mean how to compass this their traitorous devilish device. And therefore, laying their studies Device of together, how they might find out more company to join with them the rebels in that detestable purpose, and so set forward this device they compass framed, as to stir in two places, the one distant seven miles from the other; and, at the first rush, to kill and destroy such gentlemen and men of substance about them, as were favourers of the king's proceedings, or who would resist them. But, first of all, for the more speedy raising of men, they devised to burn beacons, and thereby to bring the people together, as though it were to defend the seacoasts; and, having the ignorant people assembled, then to pour out their poison; first, beginning with the rudest and poorest sort, such as they thought were pricked with poverty, and were unwilling to labour, and therefore the more ready to follow the spoil of rich men's goods, blowing into their heads that God's service was laid aside, and False lies new inventions, neither good nor godly, put in place; and so, feeding God's them with fair promises to reduce into the church again their old igno- true relirance and idolatry, they thought, by that means soonest, to allure them to rage and run with them in this commotion. And furthermore, to the intent they might give the more terror to the gentlemen at their first rising, lest they should be resisted, they devised that some should be murdered in churches, some in their houses, some in serving the king in commission, and others as they could be caught; and to pick quarrels with them for alteration of service on the holydays. And thus was the platform cast of their device, according as afterwards, by their confession at their examinations, it was testified, and remaineth in true record. Thus they being together agreed, Ombler and Dale, and others by their secret appointment, so laboured the matter in the parishes of Seamer and Wintringham, and in the towns about, that they were forged of gion. spiracy of uttered in ness. Edward infected with the poison of this confederacy in such sort, that it was VI. easy to understand whereunto they would incline, if a commotion were A. D. begun. The accomplishment thereof did shortly follow; for, although 1549. by the words of one drunken fellow of that conspiracy, named Calvered, The con- at the alehouse in Wintringham, some suspicion of that rebellion the rebels began to be smelled before by the lord president and gentlemen in drunken- those parts, and so prevented in that place where the rebels thought to begin; yet they gave not over so, but drew to another place at Seamer, by the sea-coast; and there, by night, rode to the beacon at Saxton, and set it on fire. And so, gathering together a rude rout of rascals out of the towns near about, being in a stir, Ombler, Thomas Dale, Barton, and Robert Dale, hasted forthwith with the rebels to Master White's house, to take him, who notwithstanding, Four men being on horseback, minding to have escaped their hands, Dale, cruelly Ombler, and the rest of the rebels, took him, and Clopton his wife's brother, one Savage a merchant of York, and one Bury servant to sir Walter Mildmay; which four, without cause or quarrel, saving to fulfil their seditious prophecy in some part, and to give a terror to other gentlemen, they cruelly murdered, after they had carried them one mile from Seamer, towards the Wold; and there, after they had stripped them of their clothes and purses, left them naked behind them in the plain field, for crows to feed on, until White's wife and Savage's wife, then at Seamer, caused them to be buried. murdered by the rebels. Long it were, and tedious, to recite what revel these rebels kept in their raging madness, who, ranging about the country from town to town, to enlarge their ungracious and rebellious band, taking those with force who were not willing to go, and leaving in no town where they came any man above the age of sixteen years, so increased this number, that, in short time, they had gathered three thousand to Number favour their wicked attempts; and had like to have gathered more, rebels in had not the Lord's goodness, through prudent circumspection, interrupted the course of their furious beginning. of the Yorkshire. The free par to the rebels. For, first, came the king's gracious and free pardon,' discharging king's and pardoning them, and the rest of the rebels, of all treasons, murdon sent ders, felonies, and other offences done to his majesty, before the 21st of August, A. D. 1549; which pardon, although Ombler contempOmbler tuously refused, persisting still in his wilful obstinacy, dissuading also refuseth the rest from the humble accepting the king's so loving and liberal taken. pardon, yet, notwithstanding, with some it did good. it, and is To make short, it was not long after this, but Ombler, as he was riding from town to town, twelve miles from Hunmanby, to charge all the constables and inhabitants where he came, in the king's name, to resort to Hunmanby, by the way he was espied, and by the circumspect diligence of John Wood the younger, James Aslabe, Ralph Twinge, and Thomas Constable gentleman, he was had in chase, and at last by them apprehended, and brought in the night in sure custody unto the city of York, to answer to his demerits. After whom, Names of within short time, Thomas Dale and Henry Barton, the first chiefexecuted tains and ringleaders of the former commotion, with John Dale, at York. Robert Wright, William Peacock, Wetherel, and Edmund Buttry, busy stirrers in this sedition, as they travelled from place to place to the rebels (1) See All Suche Proclamacions,' &c. Lond. 1550, fol. 61.-ED. |