Great Britain -- History -- 14th century -- Sources
For on that day, while the King was holding his Council in the Tower of
London, countless companies of the commoners and persons of the lowest
grade from Kent and Essex suddenly approached the said City, the one
body coming to the town of Southwark, and the other to the place called
"Mileende," without Algate. By the aid also of perfidious commoners
within the City, of their own condition, who rose in countless numbers
there, they suddenly entered the City together, and, passing straight
through it, went to the mansion of Sir John, Duke of Lancaster, called
"Le Savoye," and completely levelled the same with the ground and
burned it. From thence they turned to the Church of the Hospital of St.
John of Jerusalem, without Smithfield, and burnt and levelled nearly
all the houses there, the church excepted.
On the next morning, all the men from Kent and Essex met at the said
place called "Mileende," together with some of the perfidious persons
of the City aforesaid; whose numbers in all were past reckoning. And
there the King came to them from the Tower, accompanied by many knights
and esquires, and citizens on horseback, the lady his mother following
him also in a chariot. Where, at the prayer of the infuriated rout,
our Lord the King granted that they might take those who were traitors
against him, and slay them, wheresoever they might be found. And
from thence the King rode to his wardrobe, which is situated near to
Castle Baynard; while the whole of the infuriated rout took its way
towards the Tower of London; entering which by force, they dragged
forth from it Sir Simon, Archbishop of Canterbury, Chancellor of our
Lord the King, and Brother Robert Hales, Prior of the said Hospital of
St. John of Jerusalem, the King's Treasurer; and together with them,
Brother William Appeltone, of the Order of Friars Minor, and John Leg,
Serjeant-at-Arms to the King, and also, one Richard Somenour, of the
Parish of Stebenhuthe; all of whom they beheaded in the place called
"Tourhille," without the said Tower; and then carrying their heads
through the City upon lances, they set them up on London Bridge, fixing
them there on stakes.
Upon the same day there was also no little slaughter within the City,
as well of natives as of aliens. Richard Lions, citizen and vintner of
the said City, and many others, were beheaded in Chepe. In the Vintry
also, there was a very great massacre of Flemings, and in one heap
there were lying about forty headless bodies of persons who had been
dragged forth from the churches and their houses; and hardly was there
a street in the City in which there were not bodies lying of those who
had been slain. Some of the houses also in the said City were pulled
down, and others in the suburbs destroyed, and some, too, burnt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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