Prayer Book Rebellion Totally Explained

Everything about The Prayer Book Rebellion totally explained

The Prayer Book Rebellion, Western Rising or Western Rebellion was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon, in 1549. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer, presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduced. The change was widely unpopular amongst religious conservatives — particularly in areas of traditionally Roman Catholic religious loyalty, for example, in Cornwall and Devon. Along with poor economic conditions, the attack on the Church lead to an explosion of anger. In Cornwall, rebel forces gathered. In response, the Lord Protector the Duke of Somerset, ordered an army composed largely of (German and Italian) mercenaries sent to impose a military solution.
In June 2007 the Bishop of Truro, Bill Ind, said that the massacre of thousands during the suppression of the Prayerbook rebellion more than 450 years ago was an "enormous mistake" which the Church should be ashamed of.

History

Causes

In the late 1540s the government of the very young Edward VI —he was nine years old when he acceded to the throne in 1547— introduced a range of legislative measures as an extension of the Reformation in England and Wales, the primary aim being to remove those practices and change that theology of the Church of England that were perceived as being too Roman Catholic.
   In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer, reflecting the theology of the English Reformation while keeping much of the appearance of the old rites —although the offertory that (in the Sarum rite) had taken place during the gradual was abolished— replaced, in English, the four old liturgical books in Latin. The change was unpopular amongst religious conservatives, particularly in areas of traditionally Roman Catholic religious loyalty, for example, in Devon and Cornwall.
   Some commentators believe that the roots of the rebellion can be traced back to the Cornish Rebellion of 1497 and the subsequent destruction of monasteries from 1536 through to 1545 under Henry VIII which brought an end to the formal scholarship that had sustained the Cornish and Devonian cultural identities. The dissolution of Glasney College and Crantock College played a significant part in fermenting opposition to future cultural reforms. Apart from being missed as centres of indigenous culture, these institutions would have been seen by many as being a bridge to the Celtic past and a link to the ancient Celtic Christianity of their forefathers.
   When traditional religious processions and pilgrimages were banned, commissioners were sent out to remove all symbols of Roman Catholicism. Within Cornwall, this task was given to William Body, whose perceived desecration of religious shrines led to his murder on April 5 1548 by William Kylter and Pascoe Trevian at Helston. Justices arrived at the next service to enforce the change. An altercation at the service led to a proponent of the change (William Hellyons) being killed (by being run through with a pitchfork) on the steps of the church house.
   Following this confrontation a group of parishioners from Sampford Courtenay decided to march to Exeter to protest at the introduction of the new prayer book. As the group of rebels moved through Devon they gained large numbers of Catholic supporters and became a significant force. Marching east to Crediton, the Devon rebels lay siege to Exeter, demanding the withdrawal of all English manuscripts. Although a number of the inhabitants in Exeter sent a message of support to the rebels, the city refused to open its gates. The gates were to stay closed because of the siege for over a month. Along with the rapid enclosure of common lands, the attack on the Church, which was felt to be central to the rural community, lead to an explosion of anger. In Cornwall, an army gathered at the town of Bodmin under the leadership of its mayor, Henry Bray, and two staunch Catholic landowners, Sir Humphrey Arundell of Helland and John Winslade of Tregarrick. Protector Somerset himself saw dislike of the gentry as a common factor in all of the 1549 rebellions: "indeed all hath conceived a wonderful hate against the gentlemen and taketh them all as their enemies."
   The Cornish rebels were also concerned with the use of the English language in the new prayer book. The language-map of Cornwall at this time is quite complicated, but philological studies have suggested that the Cornish language had been in territorial retreat throughout the middle ages. Summarising these researches, Stoyle says that by 1450, the county was divided into three main linguistic blocs: "West Cornwall was inhabited by a population of Celtic descent, which was mostly Cornish speaking; the western part of East Cornwall was inhabited by a population of Celtic descent, which had largely abandoned the Cornish tongue in favor of English; and the eastern part of East Cornwall was inhabited by a population of Anglo-Saxon descent, which was entirely English speaking." Responding to this, however, the Duke of Somerset asked why the Cornishmen should be offended by holding the service in English rather than Cornish, when they'd before held it in Latin and not understood that?

Bishop of Truro apologises for Church role in Cornish massacre

In June 2007 the Bishop of Truro, Bill Ind, said that the massacre during the vicious suppression of the Cornish Prayerbook rebellion more than 450 years ago was an "enormous mistake" which the Church should be ashamed of. Speaking at a ceremony at Pelynt, acknowledging the "brutality and stupidity" of the atrocities on behalf of the Church of England said:
"I am often asked about my attitude to the Prayerbook Rebellion and in my opinion, there's no doubt that the English Government behaved brutally and stupidly and killed many Cornish people. I don't think apologising for something that happened over 500 years ago helps, but I'm sorry about what happened and I think it was an enormous mistake"

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