On this day, 2 December 1536

Rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace laid out their demands.

Dec 02, 2024

I chiefly used The Tudor Time’s article on The Pilgrimage of Grace. It is a very thorough article. I highly recommend reading it!

https://tudortimes.co.uk/military-warfare/the-pilgrimage-of-grace

I also recommend Dr. Kat Marchant’s “Reading the Past” YouTube video on the Pilgrimage of Grace:

On this day, 2 December 1536, representatives of the rebels participating in the Pilgrimage of Grace met at Pontefract to draw up their demands.

A 19th century imagining of the Pilgrimage of Grace.

The Yorkshire Rising was a second of three rebellions within the Pilgrimage of Grace in the north of England directly resulting from the king’s divorce of his wife, Catherine of Aragon; the disinheritance of his daughter, Mary; the Act of Supremacy of 1534; and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Pilgrimage of Grace was the largest rebellion of the Tudor era.

Banner of the Holy Wounds, the banner used during the Pilgrimage of Grace

Almost immediately after an earlier rebellion in Lincolnshire, starting around October 8, Robert Aske, a country gentleman and lawyer, and his followers marched on York. On Oct 27 at Doncaster Bridge, Robert Aske met with Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Norfolk, who had about 8000 men to the pilgrims’ 30000-40000, stalled for time in order to bolster troops in the area.

Henry VIII received the delegates’ representatives soon after in Windsor. He was furious at their presumption, calling them ignorant and demanding their ringleaders to be imprisoned. Norfolk convinced the king to have a more subtle approach and to try again to get the rebels to stand down.

The Pilgrims’ demands, according to the king, were dark and obscure at this point. Therefore, on 2 December 1536, Aske and representatives of all the Pilgrims met at Pontefract to discuss and debate their official list of demands.

According to the Tudor Times website, the list of the rebels’ demands was as follows:

Suppression of heresies of Luther, Huss, Wycliffe, Melanchthon, Bucer, Barnes, Tyndale and others.
Pope to consecrate bishops but no pensions or first fruits (the first year's income from a clerical position) to be paid to the Pope, save a reasonable pension for defence of faith.
Restoration of Princess Mary to the succession, by Act of Parliament, less the Crown fall to James V of Scotland.
Abbeys to be restored.
Rents and first fruits discharged only a rent charge to the Crown.
Friars Observant to be restored.
Heretic bishops to be burnt or tried in battle.
Cromwell and Sir Richard Rich to be punished.
Tenant right in a list of counties with two years rent for gressomes (money paid to the landlord on entering a tenancy). To be implemented by an Act of Parliament.
Leigh and Leyton (Cromwell's most hated Commissioners who had investigated the monasteries) to have condign punishment for their extortions against the monasteries.
Statute of handguns and crossbows repealed except in King's forest or parks.
Reformation of election of knights of the shire and burgesses, though no specifics on how this was to be done.
Statute for inclosures intacks executed and all since 4 Henry VII to be taken down except mountains forests and parks.
Discharged of the quinzaine and other taxes granted by Parliament.
A Parliament to be held at York or Nottingham and that shortly.
Repeal of the Act permitting Crown to be willed by the King.
Cancellation of all recognisances, penalties etc from the time of commotion.
Privileges and rights of Church recognised, man saved by his book (ie that the old benefit of clergy, that meant clerics were judged by Church courts rather than the King's should be retained). Priests not put to sword unless degraded.Rights of 40 days of sanctuary and all laws as at the beginning of the King's reign.
Liberties of the Church restored at Ripon, Durham etc.
To have the statute "that no man shall not will his lands" repealed (The Statute of Uses).
Statute of treason for words and such like since 21 Henry VIII (1530) repealed.
Common law restored as at beginning of reign and no injunctions unless granted by chancery.
Men north of the Trent to be subpoenaed to York or to appear by attorney (rather than having to appear in court in person in London).

These demands were handed over to Norfolk on 6 December. Norfolk had only been given permission by the king to promise a Parliament; he, therefore, tried to appease the rebels on the rest of their demands by promising that they would be discussed at that Parliament that was to be soon held at York. Not everyone was placated, but the Yorkshire rebels began to disperse at the insistence of Aske and other leaders who were satisfied with the results of their demands.

Eventually, after waiting and waiting with no results, the commons began to doubt the delivery of Norfolk’s promises. The Bigod Rebellion, the third within the Pilgrimage of Grace, followed, which was an abject failure. In revenge, the king executed many rebel leaders of the whole of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Robert Aske was included in this purge; after his trial and conviction, he was hanged on 12 July 1537 from Clifford’s Tower of York Castle in chains.