| 1525 Bayham Abbey Riot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The ruins of Bayham Abbey | |||
| Date | 4 June 1525 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Cardinal Wolsey suppressing Bayham Abbey to fund colleges he founded | ||
| Goals | Restoration of Bayham Abbey | ||
| Methods | Occupation | ||
| Resulted in | Rioters evicted after a week, 31 arrested | ||
| Parties | |||
| Lead figures | |||
| |||
| Casualties | |||
| Charged | 31 | ||
The1525 Bayham Abbey riot was a civil disturbance on 4 June 1525 inKent,England. It was instigated by local residents nearBayham Abbey in protest against the closure of the Abbey. The rioters occupied the Abbey for a week before 31 were arrested.
Bayham Abbey had been constructed in the 13th century for thePremonstratensians and was the centre of the community. Located near what would becomeRoyal Tunbridge Wells,[1] it enjoyed support from surrounding villages in Kent andSussex as the majority of thecanon regulars were locals.[2] Due to mismanagement from two prior abbots, in 1525, the Abbey had a debt of £600 (£564,942 in 2023) with an annual income of only £125 (£117,696 in 2023).[3] As a result,CardinalThomas Wolsey decreed that Bayham Abbey was to be suppressed in order to fundCardinal College at theUniversity of Oxford andCardinal's College of Mary inIpswich that he had founded.[4] This was approved by KingHenry VIII and theParliament of England on the grounds of the financial mismanagement as well as reports from 1488 about religious services being neglected and canons wearing "pykys" on their shoes.[5]
Over 100 members of the local villages took up arms in protest of the closure. It is believed that the riot was instigated by Canon Thomas Towers from the Abbey as well as the vicars of the parish churches inFrant andPembury.[6] They approached with "painted faces and visures".[7] The reason for them rioting to restore the Abbey was not just to protect their religious community but also their villages economically as the majority of the villages relied on income from the Abbey.[8] It was also stated that the villagers had been drinking ale to celebrateWhitsun before launching their assault on the Abbey.[9]
The villagers stormed the gatehouse controlled by Wolsey's Suppression Commissioners to occupy the Abbey and restored the canons to their positions.[4][10] The villagers promised the canons that whenever they rang the Abbey bell, the villagers would come to their aid armed.[5] Sir Edward Guildford wrote to his brother, SirHenry Guildford, theComptroller of the Royal Household about the riot and explained that the Abbey had been stormed and why.[6] However, due to work requirements, the armed resistance gradually left the occupation of the Abbey before Henry's forces arrived.[9] The rioters and canons were eventually removed from the Abbey after a week and 31 men involved in the occupation were indicted by The Crown for rioting.[11] It is not known what the fates of the rioters were. William Gale, listed as one of the 31, would later become Abbot of an abbey inBuckinghamshire.[2] The Abbey was subsequently abandoned after all the fittings were stripped out and sold.[12] Ownership of the Abbey's lands would later be transferred to KingHenry VIII in 1538.[1]
21st century historians opined that the riot at Bayham Abbey was a precursor to theDissolution of the Monasteries in theEnglish Reformation a decade later.[4] On 4 June 2025, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the riot,English Heritage announced they were searching for the descendants of the 31 men arrested for their part in the riot.[13]
