English Heritage Searching for Descendants of Bayham Abbey Uprising

English Heritage is searching for the descendants of the Bayham Abbey uprising, the violent protest against Cardinal Wolsey.

The fourth of June 2025 marked 500 hundred years since 100 villagers from local villages in Kent and Sussex took up arms against Cardinal Wolsey’s plan to close its local monastery. Viewed by historians as a foretaste of the turbulent years of religious reform to follow, Bayham Abbey’s suppression and the subsequent protest are an indication of the esteem in which monastic houses were held. 

More than a decade prior to the Dissolution of Monasteries, Cardinal Wolsey had already started suppressing some of England’s smaller monasteries to fund his new colleges at Oxford and Ipswich. Bayham Abbey, near Tunbridge Wells in Kent, was among those targeted, leading to its closure in 1525. Incensed, local people turned to violence in support of their abbey.

On 4 June 1525 “over a hundred men with painted faces and visures”, armed with longbows, crossbows, swords and clubs, assembled at the abbey to reinstate the evicted canons (ordained priests living a communal life). They stormed the abbey gatehouse and temporarily restored the community. The canons were once again removed a week later and 31 men were indicted by the Crown for rioting.

English Heritage is now seeking to find the descendants of these men.

Michael Carter, English Heritage Historian, said:

“The Bayham Abbey Uprising is a fascinating precursor to Henry VIII’s religious reforms - a harbinger not only of the Dissolution of the Monasteries just ten years later but also of the Pilgrimage of Grace, which was a major revolt against the reforms in the North of England in 1536 and 1537.

“In 1525, Bayham was deeply embedded in the religious and social life of its locality. Many of its community — the canons — were local boys and their prayers were highly prized. In addition, the bed in which St Richard of Chichester slept had been preserved at Bayham Abbey as a relic and was believed to perform miracles.

“The abbey was also a significant employer and the men who took part in the uprising were predominantly local tradesmen, including shoemakers, labourers and farmers. Whilst they will undoubtedly have feared the loss of their spiritual leaders, their loss of income would have been of equal concern. This act of rebellion could have cost them their lives and, as we reach the 500th anniversary of the riot, we are keen to remember and celebrate these brave men.”

English Heritage is searching for family connections to the following 31 men:

Those who think they may have a connection, should email press@english-heritage.org.uk.

Further details of the story can be found on the English Heritage website.