The first protests occurred in St. Keverne whose population already resented the taxes imposed by Glasney College. The leaders of the rebellion were a blacksmith from St. Keverne, Michael Joseph (‘An Gof’), and the members of Parliament for Bodmin and Helston, Thomas Flamank and William Antron respectively. Their speeches and agitations raised an army of 15,000 men who marched on Devon, collecting more recruits, before continuing on to Taunton and then Wells.  At Wells, they were joined by James Touchet, the seventh Baron Audley and proceeded to Winchester via Bristol and Salisbury but, at  Winchester, arguments divided the rebels into those wanting peaceful protest and those who believed only an armed rebellion could succeed and that they should continue to Kent.   

The decision to proceed to Kent was a huge mistake as they were rejected by the Kentish men and they retreated westwards with some men quietly leaving and returning to Cornwall.   The rebels caused mass panic in London to the extent that the Royal Family and the Archbishop of Canterbury were moved to the Tower of London for their own safety.  

On June 13^th they encountered an army of 8,000 men near Guildford which had been raised from the London population for the Scottish war. Taking the offensive on Gill Down on 14^th June, the Royal forces routed the Cornish who decamped to Blackheath where they pitched their final camp which looked down towards the Thames and London.  Despite the efforts of An Gof, many Cornishmen deserted and the force only numbered 8,000 whilst the Royal forces now amounted to 25,000 cavalry and foot soldiers. 

Henry VII let it be known that his forces would attack on the following Monday, the 17^th. This deceit fooled the Cornish and Henry attacked on the Saturday. Divided into three separate divisions, the Royalist forces, commanded by the Lords Oxford, Essex, Suffolk and Daubeney attacked on all fronts and quickly surrounded the Cornish of whom maybe 2,000 were slaughtered during and after the battle.

An Gof fled but was captured at Guildford and along with Flamank was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.  However Henry offered the ‘King’s mercy’ and unusually for such convicted, they were allowed to hang until dead before being drawn and quartered and which occurred at Tyburn on this day in 1497.  As a peer of the realm, Audley was permitted execution by beheading.  Subsequently, the heads of all were displayed on pikestaffs at London Bridge.

The image displayed at the top of this page displays a plaque at Blackheath erected in 1997 on the 500^th anniversary of the uprising.