Events

Battle of North Walsham 1381 - Information Board Launch

Monday 25th March 2024 at 14:30

The Battlefield Trust and its partners, ‘The People of 1381 Project’ and the North Walsham Town Council are holding a short ceremony to mark the installation of the first of series of information boards at the battle site.

The Battle of North Walsham was fought on 25 or 26 June 1381, about a mile to the south of the town on what was then a heath. This was part of the more widespread Peasants Revolt which had begun in Brentwood (Essex) in late May, culminating in the rebels entering London on 13 June and Wat Tyler’s death at Smithfield on 15 June, but there were other disturbances to be dealt with by the royal authorities. A number of these were in Norfolk, culminating at North Walsham in what was one of the few battles of the revolt.

The information board was jointly funded by ‘The People of 1381’ Project and the Battlefield Trust and is installed along the path of the signposted Peasants Revolt County Council Circular walk.

A group of Battlefield Trust Members and representatives from the 1381 Project and the Town Council will hold a brief on site ceremony to launch the new board.

The Mayor of the North Walsham Town Council [Cllr. Bob Wright] will formally launch the board. He commented that “North Walsham is proud of its rather rebellious past, so I am really pleased to see this information board that recognises and celebrates the battle here in 1381”.

Professor Adrian Bell, the principal investigator of ‘The People of 1381’ said: “We were delighted to work with our partners to bring a revised interpretation to this important battlefield site and through our careful work with the archival sources are able to highlight some of the life stories of rebels who fought here on this fateful day”.

David Austin, National Operations Director of the Battlefields Trust stated:
“The Battlefields Trust is very pleased with the East Anglian region's work with our other partners to get this information board set up. Although small, the battle mattered and the people who fought there can be now better remembered and this will greatly help with that.”