A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



and swordsman of prowess. He travelled much, and it was no doubt during 

 his wanderings in Italy that he conceived the idea of building a house in the 

 Grecian style on the top of St. Leonard's Hill, on the site of St. Leonard's 

 Priory, given to his father on the dissolution of the monasteries, but of which 

 no remains now exist. This site commands the city, which is, as it were, at 

 its feet, and it is noteworthy that Stow ^ attributed Howard's execution to 

 his presumption in erecting two ' bastilions ' on the top of' Mount Surrey,' as 

 the earl called his house, ' so as to overawe the city.' It is true that the 

 excuse given for the execution was the bearing of the supposed arms of 

 Edward the Confessor. However, whether it was the annoyance felt by 

 Henry at the ignominy which attached to him by his match with Katherine 

 Howard, whether it was the assumption of the Confessor's arms, or the 

 planting of cannon against the city, the poet-earl was summarily convicted 

 of treason and executed in January, 1547, his life being the last taken by the 

 king, who was then near his end. Howard's father, the duke of Norfolk, 

 just escaped death, and, though kept in ward during the reign of Edward VI, 

 was restored to property and honours by Mary. 



The history of Norfolk during the reign of Edward VI is practically 

 made up of the history of Kett's rebellion, the spoliation of the ornaments 

 of the different churches, and, in the economic sphere, the growth of the 

 worsted and woollen trades. The rebellion, however, is the only point which 

 concerns us here. 



On several occasions in the foregoing pages attention has been drawn to 

 the growing dissatisfaction and discontent of the lower classes, and especially 

 of those concerned in agriculture. It has been seen how utterly lawless 

 many of the nobles and squires were in their dealings with men of their own 

 class, and it is easy to guess how entirely they would disregard the rights of 

 those who were their tenants, and especially of such of them as were not 

 ' free ' in blood. The growth of the wool industry had greatly increased the 

 value of pasturage, and many a common which had afforded food for the hogs 

 and the geese of the manor-tenants was arbitrarily enclosed by the lords under 

 the general doctrine that provided he left ' enough ' for the commoners he 

 could enclose the rest. The extent which constituted a sufficiency as viewed 

 from opposite standpoints furnished, of course, the crux of -the whole 

 situation. 



For ten years before the great rising there had been ominous signs of 

 disturbance. One John Walker" of Griston in 1540 was going about 

 repeating the tactics of Litester's rebellion, and saying that — 



if three or four good fellows would ride in the night and cry in every town they passed 

 through 'To SwafFham ! To SwafFham ! ' that by morning there would be 10,000 

 assembled at least and that it would be a good thing if there were only as many gentlemen 

 in Norfolk as there were white bulls. 



Mutterings and rhymes passed from mouth to mouth. One ran : — 



The county gnofFes Hob, Dick, and Hick, 

 With club and clooted shoon 

 Shall fill the vale of Dussin's dale 

 With slaughtered bodies soon. 



' Two artificial mounds certainly exist to this day. They were probably formed on sloping spurs of the 

 old hill. ' F. W. Russell, Keth Rebellion in Norf. 8. 



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