A HISTORY OF NORFOLK Sheffield, and others, several Norfolk, squires, as Sir Thomas Paston, Sir Henry Bedingfield, and Sir Richard Southwell, being amongst the officers. This force was well received by the citizens, Northampton and others taking up their quarters at Steward's, the deputy mayor's house on Tombland. Some of the Italians were over eager to show their prowess, and one of them being captured was stripped of his costly armour and hanged on an oak. on Mount Surrey,^ no doubt fully in view of the royalists on Tombland. Next day the rebels without waiting to be attacked came down on the king's troops very fiercely, but were beaten back, at last.^ On the next day the attack was more successful, for they came down the hill again in overwhelming numbers, killed Lord Sheffield and Sir John Clere in a sharp engagement on St. Martin's Palace Plain, and fairly drove the royalists out of the city. Thus ended the first act of the insurrection, and so bitter a lesson had the government received that it was three weeks before the king's troops again reached Norwich. That a populous and wealthy city like Norwich should have been for three weeks in the hands of 20,000 rebels and should have escaped utter pillage and ruin, speaks highly for the rebel leaders. Necessary food and drink no doubt were taken, but nothing more, and even those citizens who had so effusively welcomed the king's troops went scatheless.^ Kett installed himself in the city and used the municipal machinery to keep things in order. He attempted to take Yarmouth, but met with spirited resistance and failed,* Sir Thomas Clere (who had just lost his kinsman) and Sir Thomas Wodehouse taking a prominent part in keeping the rebels out. The king's second force was variously estimated at 12,000 to 14,000, and was commanded by the earl of Warwick, with whom were his son Ambrose and Robert Dudley, Lord Bray, and others.^ But the heart of the army — the one ' capable ' man — was a Captain Drury ' alias Poignard,' a leader of mercenaries, who throughout the whole fight which ensued saved the situation continually. On the dramatic episodes of the fight, how after one skirmish at St. Andrew's Plain 320 men were killed in about half an acre of land ' and many others found creeping in the church- yards and under the walls ' were knocked on the head afterwards, how the Welsh mercenaries fled, how the rebel gunner shot down the king's head gunner, and how the citizens begged Warwick to leave, we cannot enter here. The rebels were at one time clearly winning, but 1,100 landsknechts came next day to reinforce the king's troops, and against these trained men the countrymen were useless. Three thousand five hundred of them were slaughtered and the rebellion was at an end. Kett and his brother were hanged and the removal of public grievances was indefinitely postponed. Immediately after the rebellion was over the city walls and gates were strongly repaired, but luckily there was never any further use for them.^ On Edward's untimely death, Norfolk was again brought into prominence from the fact that directly the duke of Northumberland, once earl of Warwick, had brought about the coronation of Lady Jane Grey, Mary came down to Kenninghall.^ From here she wrote to the lords, on 9 July, 1553, claiming to be proclaimed queen. Round her gathered all the Roman ' Nevylle, op. cit. 89. * Russell, Ketfs Rebellion in Norf. 94. ' The account given by Nevylle of the burning and pillaging at the end of the second day's fight is obviously highly coloured.
- Russell, op. cit. III. ' Ibid. 121.
° Blomefield, op. cit. iii, 259. ' Stow, jinnals {ed. Howes, 1615), 610. 498
