Depth Three - Kett’s Rebellion
Impacts of Enclosure
● Enclosure of commonland aimed to increase profit
● Landlords saw financial benefits for sheepfarming - vast profits
● Poor relied on commonland to graze animals for survival
● Led to rack-renting : increasing rent to kick off tenants
● People were forced out of their homes
● Wolsey introduced taxes on sheep and max number of 2400
● Entry fines placed a lot of pressure on tenants
Commonwealth Men
● Saw enclosure as a nuisance and the source of poverty
● Godly commonwealth - wealthy took care of the poor
● Caused Somerset to introduce enquiries into illegal enclosure
Causes of Poverty
● Population growth meant wages fell and prices grew - inflation
● Harder to ensure adequate food supply
● Poor harvests in 1540s
● Booming wool trade in europe meant people cared more about sheep farming no
arable farming
Duke of Somersets Commission on Enclosure
John Hales - appointed to look over socio-economic problems
● His failed bills represented the interests of landed elite, who benefited from enclosure
● Didnt actually take down illegal enclosures
● Only one commission actually happened in 1548
● 1549 - Commissioners told to plough up illegal enclosures (this was illegal)
● Alienated landed elites - backfired as they were the first line of defence
● Commons thought Somerset was on their side
Causes of Rebellion
Enclosure
● Peasants and Yeomen farmers now struggled to survive, let alone thrive
Religion
● 1549 - New book of common prayer introduced by Thomas Cramner
● Solidified the changes of reformation
Rebellion
● Outbreaks of riots in Devon and Cornwall
● Latin services were pointless in Cornwall - where most still spoke Cornish
● Cornish rebels inspired those in East Anglia to act too
Ketts Rebellion
● July 1st - local gentry and nobility summoned to Windsor Castle, added to unease
● Pulled lords away from EA - gave chance to grow momentum
● Rebels started destroying land enclosure of Sir Flowerdew
● Flowerdew had demolished part of EA abbey even though townspeople had bought it
Impacts of Enclosure
● Enclosure of commonland aimed to increase profit
● Landlords saw financial benefits for sheepfarming - vast profits
● Poor relied on commonland to graze animals for survival
● Led to rack-renting : increasing rent to kick off tenants
● People were forced out of their homes
● Wolsey introduced taxes on sheep and max number of 2400
● Entry fines placed a lot of pressure on tenants
Commonwealth Men
● Saw enclosure as a nuisance and the source of poverty
● Godly commonwealth - wealthy took care of the poor
● Caused Somerset to introduce enquiries into illegal enclosure
Causes of Poverty
● Population growth meant wages fell and prices grew - inflation
● Harder to ensure adequate food supply
● Poor harvests in 1540s
● Booming wool trade in europe meant people cared more about sheep farming no
arable farming
Duke of Somersets Commission on Enclosure
John Hales - appointed to look over socio-economic problems
● His failed bills represented the interests of landed elite, who benefited from enclosure
● Didnt actually take down illegal enclosures
● Only one commission actually happened in 1548
● 1549 - Commissioners told to plough up illegal enclosures (this was illegal)
● Alienated landed elites - backfired as they were the first line of defence
● Commons thought Somerset was on their side
Causes of Rebellion
Enclosure
● Peasants and Yeomen farmers now struggled to survive, let alone thrive
Religion
● 1549 - New book of common prayer introduced by Thomas Cramner
● Solidified the changes of reformation
Rebellion
● Outbreaks of riots in Devon and Cornwall
● Latin services were pointless in Cornwall - where most still spoke Cornish
● Cornish rebels inspired those in East Anglia to act too
Ketts Rebellion
● July 1st - local gentry and nobility summoned to Windsor Castle, added to unease
● Pulled lords away from EA - gave chance to grow momentum
● Rebels started destroying land enclosure of Sir Flowerdew
● Flowerdew had demolished part of EA abbey even though townspeople had bought it
