1999. The village of

Wymondham in Norfolk. What were they commemorating?

Robert Kett!

In 1999, a group called The Land is Ours took over private land on

behalf of ordinary people, in the name of Robert Kett who lived 450

years earlier. They called him…

a defender of the rights of the

"common people".

the authorities described him as a

"felonious and malicious traitor, and

a public enemy",

and accused him of encouraging the murder of gentry, knights, lords and king.

“this memorial was placed here…in reparation and

honour to a notable and courageous leader in the long struggle of the common people of England to escape from a servile life

into the freedom of just conditions".

NORWICH 1999

A tale of two Ketts Hero or traitor?

In Norfolk, most people were farmers.

A few were very rich. 6% of the people owned 60% of the land.

Who were the people?

• A few very rich nobles.

• Several well-off farmers and merchants.

• Lots of poorer peasant farmers

Power was beginning to move from the landowning nobles to

merchants and business people.

England was changing…

… from feudalism …

… to capitalism.

PROBLEMS!

•Wars with France and Scotland

•Religious conflict•Bad harvests•Prices going up•Less jobs•Enclosed land

Summer 1549…

Almost half the people of England were in revolt against the government.

The government banned the spreading of rumours…… and the playing of football ….

… punishable by death!

A new government!

• King Henry had died in 1547.

• His son Edward was only 8 years old.

• Edward’s uncle the Duke of Somerset was really in charge.

• The new government wanted England to be Protestant but many people preferred the old Catholic ways.

In the past, poorer people had shared common land for grazing

animals.

Now, rich farmers were putting fences round the

common land and not letting others use it.

The new way to make money?

WOOL!

Land that had been worked by many people now needed just

one shepherd.

So what did people do?

They pulled down fences!

WYMONDHAMJohn Flowerdew, one of the few highest gentry.

Crowds went to pull down Flowerdew’s fences.

Robert Kett, another wealthy landowner but not part of the upper group.

Flowerdew persuaded them to go and pull down Kett’s fences.

They didn’t get on!

So how did Kett react?

He listened to their complaints…

… then he helped them pull down his fences …

… and took them back to pull down Flowerdew’s!

Kett was now their leader!

What happened next?

• Several thousand marched to Norwich.• They camped outside the city walls on

Mousehold Heath.• Many more people joined them.

Norwich seen from Mousehold Heath.

Find out…• How the authorities reacted.• How Kett responded.• How they organised

themselves.• What demands they made• How the authorities reacted.• What happened on 21st July.• What happened on and after

31st July.• What happened at the end of

August.• How the rebellion ended.

1. How much support did Kett get from ordinary people in Norwich?

2. How effective was the reaction of the authorities?

3. Was Kett a traitor to England or a hero of the common people?

Decide…

The old oak tree is still there…

Norwich Castle. The Kett brothers’ heads were hung from here…