Coventry Lammas Day Rebellion 1525 #5: Letter to King Henry VIII

The next document that we know of that refers to Sir Henry Willoughby’s involvement in quelling the Coventry Lammas Day Rebellion of 1525 is a calendar entry in the State Papers of King Henry VIII. It concerns a letter, dated Saturday 12th August 1525 and was sent from Astley Castle, Warwickshire. This document confirms the information in the Middleton accounts entry from the 11th August that stated that Sir Henry stayed at Astley for two days.

This letter was sent to King Henry VIII by Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, Sir Henry Willoughby, Sir Edward Ferrers and Thomas Trye, who had all received the King’s commission to quell the rebellion.

The Sir Edward Ferrers mentioned in this letter was the Edward Ferrers of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, who was the son of Sir Henry Ferrers and Margaret Hexstall. Sir Henry Willoughby and Sir Edward were cousins as a result of them both being great-grandsons of Sir Baldwin IV de Freville. Like Sir Henry Willoughby, Sir Edward had also been a Knight of the Body to King Henry VIII, appointed as High Sheriff of Warwickshire and was present at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520.

Tomb of Sir Edward Ferrers at Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire, 2024. Photograph taken by Steve Davies.

In their letter to the King, they provided details of their proceedings with the mayor of Coventry, in particular the surrender to them for trial of four specific people. They added that they wished to hear from Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in reply to letters that they had sent to him on the matter the previous Tuesday. This letter also contained an instruction to retain the messenger called Appleby.

Further Reading: "Henry VIII: August 1525, 1-15", Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 4, 1524-1530, ed. J S Brewer, 1875, PD, British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol4/pp691-705

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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