Henry listened to these complaints with close attention. He could understand that the people were angry because they had been heavily taxed but the accusations against Suffolk and his friends angered him. The chief of these had been the Queen and he could see in this criticisms of her.

He gave orders that all loyal servants of the King and country should unite against the rebels.

Knowing that if the King’s army came against them they would be defeated. Cade gave orders that they retreat to Sevenoaks. There they encamped while the King’s army advanced.

Henry made the mistake of sending out a small detachment under the Stafford brothers—Sir Humphrey and William. The result was triumph for the rebels. Both Staffords were slain and the rest of the detachment retreated to Blackheath where the King had his men.

Cade was delighted. He was proving himself to be a born leader. His force was well ordered; what he had learned in France stood him in good stead; he was a brilliant soldier. From the slain Sir Humphrey he took his spurs, his splendid armour, his brigandine of small plates and rings fastened by leather, his salade helmet which rested entirely on his head and was not attached to the rest of the body armour. The top had a crest which swept in a long tail at the back. Arrayed in these Jack felt the nobleman whom he had always longed to be.

The fine armour and his success elated Jack to such an extent that he believed himself to be a great leader. He saw himself rising to power and becoming chief adviser to the new King who would of course be the Duke of York, raised to the throne by the courage and brilliance of Jack Cade.

‘We are kinsmen,’ he could hear the Duke saying. ‘You shall be my chancellor.’

To have been victorious in battle against the King’s forces was triumph indeed.

The King was most disturbed. This was indeed a rebellion. It was verging on civil war. His ministers did not like the mood of the people generally. What was happening in Kent today would be happening in the rest of the country tomorrow.

Perhaps they should placate the insurgents.

‘Forsooth, I agree,’ cried Henry. ‘There must be no more bloodshed. Let us parley with these men. Who is this man Mortimer?’

‘He is a kinsman of the Duke of York, so he says,’ was the answer. They were all of the opinion that the Duke of York from Ireland was behind this revolt. It was reasonable enough. The King was weak; the Queen was hated and there was no heir, and the Duke of York did have a claim to the throne.

Yes, they were of the opinion that this revolt should not be allowed to spread, so they would parley with the rebels.

The fact that the King was ready to do this inspired Jack with new confidence.

‘It is for us to make terms,’ he cried. ‘We will see what the response is to that.’

One of the most hated men was Lord Say, the Treasurer, whose duty it was to make the extortionate demands which had aroused the wrath of the people. That he did not keep the money for himself but raised it for the country’s needs was beside the point. He raised the money; he made the demands; he was to blame. Lord Say’s was a name which was reviled throughout the country.

‘We shall refuse to treat with the King until Lord Say is placed in custody,’ said Jack.

‘That is easy,’ said the King, ‘and we must do it. We must prevent further trouble at all cost. Say can be committed to the Tower for the time being. He need only remain there until this is over. It may be the safest place for him.’

So Lord Say went to the Tower; the King and his army returned to London, and after a day or so Henry was deluded into thinking that if he did not take the rebels seriously they would disperse and go back to their business in the country.

He himself left for Kenilworth.

No sooner had he left than Jack marched his army into the capital.

It was a great day for Jack when he rode into the City. There was no resistance at all. People came out of their houses and cheered him. Street vendors and apprentices were all there to give them a welcome. For them it was like a day of a fair—a holiday.

But Jack was serious. He saw himself at the height of power even beyond his own dreams. He struck his sword on the street cobbles and cried aloud: ‘Now is Mortimer lord of this city.’

He kept his men in order. There was to be no stealing from the houses, no raping of the girls and women. This was their own fair city of London and those who succeeded must not offend the Londoners. ‘We must have them on our side,’ he said, ‘working for us.’

It was true that up to this time the Londoners thought it was all something of a joke. They were not averse to seeing the King discountenanced because they knew that would upset the Queen far more than it did him. No, this was amusing, rather like a royal wedding or a coronation...not to be taken too seriously though.

They very soon saw it in a different light.

Jack and his men spent the night at Southwark after setting guards in the city to keep the peace. The next day however he came back into the city and took up his place at the Guildhall.

He then sent some of his men to the Tower with instructions to bring Lord Say to him.

The bewildered Treasurer was brought into the hall and when he saw who his judges were to be, he tried to explain that what had been done had been by order of those above him. Jack Cade would have none of this. He was determined to show these people that he was in command.

‘You condemn me,’ said Lord Say, ‘but you cannot do that. I demand to be tried by my peers.’

‘It is. not for you to make demands,’ said Jack. ‘You stand condemned. You are guilty of crimes against the people. Make your peace with God.’

Nor was he allowed time to do that. Jack himself led the procession to the standard in the Chepe and there they cut off Lord Say’s head.

The head was held high that all the people gathered there might see it.

‘Here is the head of a traitor to the people,’ said the executioner.

Then the people of London knew that Jack Cade’s rebellion was no game to make a day’s holiday.

That was not enough. Lord Say’s son-in-law, William Crowmer, who was the Sheriff of Kent, was captured and dragged to the Chepe. His head was placed on a pole and it was lifted high until it was side by side with that of Lord Say. Those who carried the poles laughed and joked as they brought the two heads together and made it appear that they kissed.

‘A pair of rogues,’ shouted the men of Kent. ‘So may they all perish.’

The citizens of London had grown grave.

They did not like those who came uninvited and made free with their city.


* * *

Jack had gone back to Southwark after the executions gloating on his success but was soon to discover that his optimism was a little premature. When he returned to London the next day he found that the citizens had risen against him. It was no longer a joke. They would not have him dictating the law in their city and when it came to sentencing people to death and actually carrying out the sentence without trial and without time for the prisoner to be shriven, that was entirely unacceptable. If such conduct was permissible it would only be among Londoners.

Before he had retired to Kenilworth the King had left a certain Matthew Gough in charge of the Tower of London and with the Mayor, Gough called on the citizens to defend their city. The response was immediate and when Jack with his army came to cross the Bridge he was met by a sturdy force. Cade’s army was the stronger and during the fighting Matthew Gough was killed. Jack had taken the opportunity to storm the King’s Bench and the Marshalsea prison and the prisoners he released fought for him.

They battled fiercely but the Londoners were defending their city and the conflict raged all through the night. By the morning both sides were exhausted and readily agreed that there should be a truce which should last some hours.

The Archbishop of York, John Kemp, who was also the Chancellor, old and infirm as he was, had stayed in London and had had no desire to retreat to Kenilworth with the King. John Stafford, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was also in London and the two decided that it was their task and their duty to disperse the rebels and prevent any further bloodshed.

They sent for William Waynflete, the Bishop of Winchester, who happened to be at Haliwell, a priory in Shoreditch, at the time and the three churchmen met for a council in the Tower of London.

‘These rebellions can be dangerous,’ said Archbishop Kemp. ‘One hasty action could spark off a civil war. One the other hand the right action could spark off a civil war. On the other hand the right action at the right moment could put an end to the rebellion. King Richard did it with Wat Tyler but I would not wish to make false promises to these rebels.’

‘There is one thing we can offer them,’ said the Bishop of Winchester, ‘and that is free pardons. There must be some of them who are growing uneasy. If we offer to let them go peacefully back to their homes and assure them that there will be no reprisals against them, they might well decide that is the best plan of action for them.’

‘Will the King agree?’ asked Kemp.

The Bishop of Winchester snapped his fingers.

‘The King has chosen to retreat. I do not think we should ask his advice on this matter. There would not be time to in any case. What do you say that we offer these rogues pardon on the condition that they go quietly to their homes?’

The three of them agreed that if they could end the rebellion promptly that would be the best course possible, and it was accordingly arranged that Jack should have a meeting with the Bishop of Winchester at St. Margaret’s Church, Southwark.