The Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace

The monasteries offered little opposition to their dissolution because Henry had the law on his side. In 1535 the monks and nuns had sworn an oath to accept Henry’s authority as Supreme Head of the Church. However, this did not stop the people of the north of England protesting in defence of the monasteries. In the autumn of 1536 the rising tide of anger and discontent in Lincolnshire turned into open rebellion.

The Lincolnshire Rising, 1536

The Lincolnshire Rising began in Louth, when the townspeople rioted on the strength of rumours that the King intended to close the town’s church as well as the nearby monastery. The community was proud of its church, having invested substantial sums in its repair and enlargement. The rumours were believed because Cromwell’s commissions, who, like their master, were hated, had recently visited the monastery. The vicar of Louth, Thomas Kendall, made matters worse when he states that the King intended to:

  • confiscate the treasures of all the parish churches in England;

  • tax baptisms, marriage and funerals.

News of the riot in Louth soon spread to neighbouring towns and villages and riots broke out in Caistor, Horncastle and Sleaford. At Horncastle the bishop of Lincoln’s chancellor, together with one of Cromwell’s agents, were murdered by an angry mob. The rioters joined forces and marched on the city of Lincoln, hoping to present the King with a list of their demands. Alarmed by the news of the rising in Lincolnshire, Henry VIII dispatched an army under Charles Bardon, Duke of Suffolk, to put it down. With the arrival of the army the rebellion collapsed, as the gentry sued for peace. Denied effective leadership, the people dispersed and returned home. An angry Henry VIII described Lincolnshire as ‘The most brute and beastly shire of the whole realm’.

The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536-37

As the Lincolnshire rising collapsed, the people of Yorkshire rose in rebellion. Fuelled by rumours of wholesale monastic closures and encouraged by news of the Lincolnshire rising, a lawyer, Robert Aske, assumed control of the revolt in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Adopting the title the Pilgrimage of Grace, Aske revised the Lincolnshire rebels’ demands and placed more emphasis on preserving the church and defending the monasteries. As the rebels moved north they recruited additional followers, including members of the gentry - Sir Willian Babthorpe and Sir Thomas Percy - and nobility - Lord Hussey and Lord Darcy. Soon the rebels numbered more than 30,000.

Preoccupied with regaining control of Lincolnshire, the King did not initially appreciate the seriousness of the Pilgrimage of Grace, and a royal army under the command of Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk, took a month to arrive. Outnumbered and playing for time, Norfolk arranged a truce and allowed the rebels to submit a list of their complaints. Aske convened a meeting to draw up the Pontefract Articles which were submitted to the King. Henry issued a general pardon while he considered the articles, but before he could come to a decision a new rising broke out, led by Sir Francis Bigod. Bigod’s revolt was put down, but it resulted in Aske’s arrest and trial for treason.