Was there a Blackaby in the Revolting Peasants?

[Clive Blackaby]

Some time back I had a note from another Blackaby, who told me (speaking of his Aunt who had done some FH research) "I think she got back as far as a Blackaby who was involved in the peasants revolt and was hanged on Tyburn Hill alongside Wat Tyler the leader of the revolt."

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where she could have got that information and how I might verify it?

[Geoffers]

Some time back I had a note from another Blackaby, who told me (speaking of his Aunt who had done some FH research) "I think she got back as far as a Blackaby who was involved in the peasants revolt and was hanged on Tyburn Hill alongside Wat Tyler the leader of the revolt."
Does anyone have any suggestions as to where she could have got that information and how I might verify it?The first place to try is the aunt of the fellow researcher to see if you can find her notes and sources - However - I'd be very dubious of this as the leader who we now know as Wat Tyler wasn't hanged. The story is that he was injured in a scuffle when he met the King at Smithfield and later beheaded in a poor hospital (I think it was at the behest of the mayor).

If you just want to find a reference to the name, I'd suggest beginning with one of the books on the subject, you should be able to order them via a library, e.g:

'The Peasant's Revolt in 1381' by R B DOBSON

'Peasant's Revolt: The Uprising in Kent, Essex, East Anglia and London during the reign of King Richard II' by Ronald WEBBER

'The Peasants Revolt: England's Failed Revolution of 1381' by Alastair DUNN

'The Peasant's Revolt: 1381 by Phillip LINDSAY

'Essex and the Peasants' Revolt' editors W H LIDDELL and R G E WOOD

'Nine Days' Hero: Wat Tyler (People from the Past) by Jack LINDSAY

The bibliograhies in these books should provide source material to which you can refer.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Clive Blackaby]

Geoff,

Thanks for the list of references - that'll keep me busy for a while. Going to have to give up the day job!!

Yes I was aware that Wat Tyler was not hanged (this was a direct quote from my correspondent, who did not seem particularly interested in following it up, and did not know where his aunt's papers had finished up). It casts some doubt on the rest of it, but a lot of these family legends have at least some basis in truth.

[John]

Some time back I had a note from another Blackaby, who told me (speaking of his Aunt who had done some FH research) "I think she got back as far as a Blackaby who was involved in the peasants revolt and was hanged on Tyburn Hill alongside Wat Tyler the leader of the revolt."

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where she could have got that information and how I might verify it?
Clive,
you have done the obvious and basic search on google? You might not get the answer to your question but you might understand your aunts belief that there was a connection with the peasants revolt.

John

[Clive Blackaby]

Clive,
you have done the obvious and basic search on google? You might not get the answer to your question but you might understand your aunts belief that there was a connection with the peasants revolt.

John
The basic and obvious I've done, but whilst there is a vast selection of sites with that basic history (including the mode of demise of Wat Tyler), political background etc. it really only features the major players.
None the less fascinating though.

Incidentally unfortunately it was not my aunt, but the aunt of someone who sent me an email, but did not go into any further detail.

Clive

[John]

The basic and obvious I've done, but whilst there is a vast selection of sites with that basic history (including the mode of demise of Wat Tyler), political background etc. it really only features the major players.
None the less fascinating though.

Incidentally unfortunately it was not my aunt, but the aunt of someone who sent me an email, but did not go into any further detail.

Clive
Well the obvious thing that grabbed me was that there was a Blackaby talking about a peasants revolt, but not the peasants revolt. Such things are rumours made of!

John

[Cornish Maid]

I have only just read this thread, but by one of those odd coincidences, I am reading a book about the Peasants Revolt. You might be interested to know that once the dust died down, Parliament issued an Amnesty for all those involved in the Peasant's Uprising.

Specifically EXCLUDED from this Amnesty was a list of 287 people. Some were already in prison but the rest simply disappeared. Of those who were in prison, most received some kind of trial, under the "Bloody Assizes of Chief Justice Robert Tresilian". 120 were executed, the rest bought themselves off, or brought influence to bear.

This list appears to have been drawn up in 1381 and modern-day Historians appear to have access to it, which suggests that it exists somewhere today. Try the National Archives Site, sorry, cant remember the address. A few names are mentioned in the book I am reading but no Blackabys I'm afraid.It may be your Blackaby Ancestor was one of those who slunk away under the general amnesty, in which case I dont think you have much chance of finding him.

Incidentally, this book is concerned with Freemasonry and is the most convincing book on this subject that I have ever read. It suggests that the Peasants Revolt was engineered by the Freemasons and that many of their seemingly bizarre rituals today in fact arise from things which happened during the Uprising. As I say, extremely convincing.

Hope this waffle is of some use to you.

[Clive Blackaby]

Specifically EXCLUDED from this Amnesty was a list of 287 people. Some were already in prison but the rest simply disappeared. Of those who were in prison, most received some kind of trial, under the "Bloody Assizes of Chief Justice Robert Tresilian". 120 were executed, the rest bought themselves off, or brought influence to bear.

This list appears to have been drawn up in 1381 and modern-day Historians appear to have access to it, which suggests that it exists somewhere today. Try the National Archives Site, sorry, cant remember the address. A few names are mentioned in the book I am reading but no Blackabys I'm afraid.It may be your Blackaby Ancestor was one of those who slunk away under the general amnesty, in which case I dont think you have much chance of finding him.

Hope this waffle is of some use to you.
Many thanks "Cornish" - bits of "waffle" like that all help to fill in the picture and make it more interesting.

For my informant's aunt to have found out about the involvement I assume it will be documented somewhere, but her original research is not available to me. Maybe it will turn up in someone's attic some day.

The list you mention sounds like a good starting point - it was definitely said that he was hanged, but it was also in the same breath said that he hanged along with Wat Tyler (who appears to have either died in a scuffle or been fatally beaten up by the Mayor's enforcers - what would our papers make of that today!)

I'll have to go digging around on some of the archive sites again.

If anyone has any suggestions who might hold the list, I'd be eternally grateful

Clive