The Western Rising of 1549

Mark Stoyle

£12.99

We send all orders via Royal Mail: within the UK, choose from 1st Class, 2nd Class or Special Delivery; for the rest of the world, International Standard or International Tracked. Delivery and packaging charges are calculated automatically at the checkout.

To collect orders in person from the Bookshop, choose Click and Collect at the checkout.


Yale University Press
13 February 2024
ISBN: 9780300276886
Paperback
400 pages

From the publisher

"Compelling."-Mathew Lyons, Times (UK)

"Authoritative."-Marcus Nevitt, Spectator

"A sympathetic portrayal of communities fighting for all they held dear."-Lucy Wooding, Times Literary Supplement


The fascinating story of the so-called "Prayer Book Rebellion" of 1549 which saw the people of Devon and Cornwall rise up against the Crown

The Western Rising of 1549 was the most catastrophic event to occur in Devon and Cornwall between the Black Death and the Civil War. Beginning as an argument between two men and their vicar, the rebellion led to a siege of Exeter, savage battles with Crown forces, and the deaths of 4,000 local men and women. It represents the most determined attempt by ordinary English people to halt the religious reformation of the Tudor period.

Mark Stoyle tells the story of the so-called "Prayer Book Rebellion" in full. Correcting the accepted narrative in a number of places, Stoyle shows that the government in London saw the rebels as a real threat. He demonstrates the importance of regional identity and emphasizes that religion was at the heart of the uprising. This definitive account brings to life the stories of the thousands of men and women who acted to defend their faith almost five hundred years ago.