The Middleton Accounts of 1525 #19 & Coventry Lammas Day Rebellion 1525 #7

The next entry in the Middleton accounts of Sir Henry Willoughby in 1525 again concerned Sir Henry’s activities in relation to his commission from the King to quell the Lammas Day Rebellion in Coventry. This is the last reference to this event in our papers.

The entry was dated the 14th August 1525 and it was described as Sir Henry’s costs for going to Coventry on that day with Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and for 140 of Sir Henry’s men that had accompanied him. It added that they were there “sitting” at Coventry by the King’s commission. The cost for this was 46 shillings 6 pence, which was the equivalent of about £1,025.97 today.

A member of Living History UK depicts a longbowman from Warwickshire c.1520.

These 140 men are a lot more than the 20 or 30 that Thomas had previously suggested would be sufficient for Sir Henry to provide. Whether Sir Henry had to provide even more men later on that would become part of Thomas’ “several thousand men” that were encamped to quell the Rebellion is unknown as there are no further entries in the accounts that comment on this. It is also uncertain how long Sir Henry and his men continued to remain at Coventry. This is because very few of the remaining entries for the year indicate the location of Sir Henry himself or mention his activities and most that do include either Thomas Grey or Sir Edward Ferrers, both of whom were also involved with quelling this Rebellion.

Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p378.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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