A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



Sheffield, and others, several Norfolk, squires, as Sir Thomas Paston, Sir Henry 

 Bedingfield, and Sir Richard Southwell, being amongst the officers. This force 

 was well received by the citizens, Northampton and others taking up their 

 quarters at Steward's, the deputy mayor's house on Tombland. Some of the 

 Italians were over eager to show their prowess, and one of them being captured 

 was stripped of his costly armour and hanged on an oak. on Mount Surrey,^ 

 no doubt fully in view of the royalists on Tombland. Next day the rebels 

 without waiting to be attacked came down on the king's troops very fiercely, 

 but were beaten back, at last.^ On the next day the attack was more 

 successful, for they came down the hill again in overwhelming numbers, 

 killed Lord Sheffield and Sir John Clere in a sharp engagement on St. Martin's 

 Palace Plain, and fairly drove the royalists out of the city. Thus ended the 

 first act of the insurrection, and so bitter a lesson had the government received 

 that it was three weeks before the king's troops again reached Norwich. 

 That a populous and wealthy city like Norwich should have been for three 

 weeks in the hands of 20,000 rebels and should have escaped utter pillage 

 and ruin, speaks highly for the rebel leaders. Necessary food and drink no 

 doubt were taken, but nothing more, and even those citizens who had so 

 effusively welcomed the king's troops went scatheless.^ Kett installed himself 

 in the city and used the municipal machinery to keep things in order. He 

 attempted to take Yarmouth, but met with spirited resistance and failed,* Sir 

 Thomas Clere (who had just lost his kinsman) and Sir Thomas Wodehouse taking 

 a prominent part in keeping the rebels out. The king's second force was 

 variously estimated at 12,000 to 14,000, and was commanded by the earl of 

 Warwick, with whom were his son Ambrose and Robert Dudley, Lord Bray, 

 and others.^ But the heart of the army — the one ' capable ' man — was a Captain 

 Drury ' alias Poignard,' a leader of mercenaries, who throughout the whole 

 fight which ensued saved the situation continually. On the dramatic episodes 

 of the fight, how after one skirmish at St. Andrew's Plain 320 men were killed 

 in about half an acre of land ' and many others found creeping in the church- 

 yards and under the walls ' were knocked on the head afterwards, how the 

 Welsh mercenaries fled, how the rebel gunner shot down the king's head gunner, 

 and how the citizens begged Warwick to leave, we cannot enter here. The 

 rebels were at one time clearly winning, but 1,100 landsknechts came next day to 

 reinforce the king's troops, and against these trained men the countrymen 

 were useless. Three thousand five hundred of them were slaughtered and 

 the rebellion was at an end. Kett and his brother were hanged and the 

 removal of public grievances was indefinitely postponed. Immediately 

 after the rebellion was over the city walls and gates were strongly repaired, 

 but luckily there was never any further use for them.^ 



On Edward's untimely death, Norfolk was again brought into prominence 

 from the fact that directly the duke of Northumberland, once earl of 

 Warwick, had brought about the coronation of Lady Jane Grey, Mary 

 came down to Kenninghall.^ From here she wrote to the lords, on 9 July, 

 1553, claiming to be proclaimed queen. Round her gathered all the Roman 



' Nevylle, op. cit. 89. * Russell, Ketfs Rebellion in Norf. 94. 



' The account given by Nevylle of the burning and pillaging at the end of the second day's fight is 

 obviously highly coloured. 



* Russell, op. cit. III. ' Ibid. 121. 



° Blomefield, op. cit. iii, 259. ' Stow, jinnals {ed. Howes, 1615), 610. 



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