Fleet Prison was a famous London Prison which stood in Farringdon Street, on what was called Fleet Market, from the River Fleet which flowed into the Thames. Its keeper was called the Warden of the Fleet. As far back as the 12th century the Fleet served as a Royal Prison. In the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth I it was used for religious martyrs and the political victims of the StarChambers. In 1641 it became a place of confinement for debtors and persons committed for contempt of court, and rapidly acquired a notoriety for every kind of brutality and extortion. It was It was burned by Wat Tyler in 1381, at the Great Fire in 1666, and by the Gordon rioters in 1780 and rebuilt several times before being finally abolished in 1842. Research Fleet Prison
John Ball, was an English itinerant preacher of the fourteenth century. He was excommunicated about 1367 for promulgating 'errors, schisms, and scandals against the Pope, archbishops, bishops, and clergy.' He was one of the most active promoters of the popular insurgent spirit which found vent under Wat Tyler in 1381, and the couplet 'When Adam delved and Eve span Who was then the gentleman?' is attributed to him. Research John Ball
Richard II was the son of Edward The Black Prince and King of England from 1371 to 1399. Richard II succeeded to the throne at the age of ten, on his father Edward's death. In 1381 the Peasants' Revolt broke out and Richard, aged 14, bravely rode out to meet the rebels at Smithfield, London. Wat Tyler, the principal leader of the peasants, was killed and the uprisings in the rest of the country were crushed over the next few weeks (Richard was later forced by his Council's advice to rescind the pardons he had given). Highly cultured, Richard II was one of the greatest royal patrons of the arts; patron of Chaucer, it was Richard II who ordered the technically innovative transformation of the Norman Westminster Hall to what it is today.
Richard II's authoritarian approach upset vested interests, and his increasing dependence on favourites provoked resentment. In 1388 the 'Merciless Parliament' led by a group of lords hostile to Richard II (headed by the King' s uncle, Gloucester) sentenced many of the King's favourites to death and forced Richard II to renew his coronationoath. The death of his first queen, Anne of Bohemia, in 1394 further isolated Richard II, and his subsequent arbitrary behaviour alienated people further.
Richard II took his revenge in 1397, arresting or banishing many of his opponents; his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, was also subsequently banished. On the death of Henry's father, John of Gaunt (a younger son of Edward III), Richard II confiscated the vast properties of his Duchy of Lancaster (which amounted to a state within a state) and divided them among his supporters.
Richard II pursued policies of peace with France and still called himself king of France and refused to give up Calais, but his reign was concurrent with a 28 year truce in the Hundred Years War.
His expeditions to Ireland failed to reconcile the Anglo- Irish lords with the Gaels. In 1399, while Richard II was in Ireland, Henry of Bolingbroke returned to claim his father's inheritance. Supported by some of the leading baronial families (including Richard II's former Archbishop of Canterbury), Henry of Bolingbroke captured and deposed Richard II and Henry of Bolingbroke was crowned King as Henry IV. Risings in support of Richard II led to his murder in PontefractCastle; Henry V subsequently had his body buried in WestminsterAbbey. Research Richard II
Robert Southey was an English poet and writer. He was born in 1774 at Bristol and died in 1843. The son of a linen draper, he was educated at Westminster and Balliol College, Oxford, by the help of relatives. Influenced by the French Revolution, he developed and advanced ideas in politics and religion, and with Samuel Coleridge, whom he met at Oxford in 1794, cherished vain dreams of establishing what they described as a Pantisocracy or communal republic in the New World. Robert Southey's advanced ideas were reflected in his early literature which included the drama 'Wat Tyler' and 'Joan of Arc', an historical epic. A trip to Spain and Portugal from 1795 until 1796 gave him a lasting interest in those countries. By 1803 Robert Southey was earnestly involved in writing and moved to Keswick in the Lake District where he became friends with William Wordsworth. In 1813 he was appointed poet laureate. Research Robert Southey
A poll tax is a tax of so much per head. It was first levied in ancient Athens. In Britain, a poll tax levied by Richard II in 1381 gave rise to the insurrection of Wat Tyler. Charles II raised a similar tax in 1678 which was abolished by William III in 1689. During the 1990s the Thatcher government raised another poll tax, and this was once again so unpopular that it led to wide scale social disobedience and was abolished. Research Poll Tax
The Savoy Palace was an old palace in London, between the Strand and the Thames Embankment. It derived its name from Peter, Count of Savoy, whom was granted the site by Henry III in 1246. As the residence of John of Gaunt, the palace suffered severely in the Wat Tyler rebellion of 1381. It was restored by Henry VII, and in 1505 was endowered by him as a hospital for the poor. Within its walls John of France lay a prisoner, and the SavoyConference on the Book of Common Prayer took place there in 1661. The site is now occupied by the Savoy Hotel, Savoy Theatre and other buildings. Research Savoy Palace
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
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