OCR Specification focus:
‘Doctrinal and social causes with regional variations between Devon and Cornwall shaped aims and grievances.’
The Western Rebellion of 1549, also known as the Prayer Book Rebellion, emerged from deep-seated religious and socio-economic tensions. It reflected both national grievances and distinct regional differences between Devon and Cornwall.
Religious Causes: Doctrinal Change as a Catalyst
The imposition of the Book of Common Prayer in 1549 under Edward VI marked a radical shift in religious practice, serving as the immediate spark for unrest.
The replacement of Latin Mass with services in English was perceived by many in the West Country as a direct assault on traditional worship.
For deeply conservative and Catholic communities, particularly in Cornwall and Devon, such changes were not merely theological adjustments but an existential threat to identity and faith.
Hostility towards iconoclasm (destruction of images and relics) and the abolition of rituals such as holy bread and water deepened resentment.
Religious grievances were codified in the rebels’ articles and demands, which called for restoration of the Latin Mass and traditional practices.
Title page of the first English Book of Common Prayer (1549), compiled under Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Its compulsory use replaced Latin rites with English, provoking resistance in parts of Devon and Cornwall. This image shows the printed authority behind a reform many parishioners rejected as abrupt and alien. Source
Book of Common Prayer: The liturgical text introduced in 1549 that mandated worship in English, embodying Protestant reforms and replacing Catholic rites.
While religious change provided the sharpest edge, the rebellion was also underpinned by broader socio-economic discontent.
Social and Economic Causes: Pressures in Mid-Tudor England
The 1540s were marked by intense economic strain across the realm, and these pressures were felt acutely in the West.
Enclosures: The fencing of common land disrupted traditional farming practices, depriving communities of resources and breeding resentment.
Inflation and rising prices: Coinage debasement and population growth eroded living standards, particularly among peasants and labourers.
Taxation policies: A new tax on sheep introduced in 1549 especially harmed upland regions where pastoral farming was essential.
Famine and food shortages: Harvest failures compounded hardship, fuelling grievances alongside religious anger.
These hardships encouraged popular mobilisation and explain why the rebellion drew mass support, though expressed differently in Cornwall and Devon.
Regional Differences: Cornwall
Cornwall’s distinct identity was shaped by its Celtic language and cultural traditions, giving its grievances a sharper edge.
The Prayer Book’s insistence on English-only services alienated Cornish speakers, many of whom did not understand English.
This created not only a spiritual grievance but also a cultural and linguistic one, fuelling perceptions of cultural oppression by the Tudor state.
Cornwall’s relative isolation from London reinforced feelings of neglect and strengthened regional solidarity.
A clean map showing the eastward retreat of Cornish and the spread of English between 1300 and 1750. For 1549 it illustrates why English liturgy felt imposed in Cornish-speaking districts. Extra detail: the timeline extends beyond 1549 to display the longer linguistic trend. Source
Cornish language: A Celtic language historically spoken in Cornwall, increasingly marginalised in the Tudor period and central to cultural identity.
Thus, in Cornwall, rebellion was not just about religion but about resisting the imposition of an alien culture.
Regional Differences: Devon
In contrast, Devon’s grievances were less about language and more focused on local social and economic disruptions.
Communities resented land enclosures and new agricultural practices that threatened subsistence farming.
The sheep tax particularly harmed Devon’s pastoral economy, intensifying anger at royal policy.
Religious conservatism still mattered, but in Devon it intersected more directly with material concerns than with cultural identity.
These variations shaped both the articulation of demands and the intensity of participation in different areas.
Interplay of Causes
Although historians debate the primacy of religious versus socio-economic causes, the Western Rebellion demonstrates how multiple grievances could converge.
Religion provided the ideological framework, evident in calls to restore traditional Catholic practices.
Socio-economic strain created the conditions for mass mobilisation, particularly among peasants and labourers.
Regional identity sharpened and differentiated grievances, explaining why Cornwall’s discontent carried a linguistic and cultural dimension absent in Devon.
This combination of doctrinal, social, and regional elements produced a movement both broad in participation and complex in motive.
Key Points for Study
The rebellion illustrates the multi-causal nature of Tudor unrest.
Religious change was the immediate trigger, but it interacted with deep socio-economic distress.
Cornwall’s grievances emphasised linguistic and cultural identity, while Devon’s focused on agrarian and economic issues.
The rebellion’s demands and support base reflect how local contexts shaped responses to national policy.
FAQ
The West Country was geographically remote, with weaker communication links to London, which slowed the spread of Protestant ideas.
In Cornwall especially, Catholic traditions remained deeply embedded in local culture and identity. Strong links between religion and community life meant that change was perceived as a direct attack on local values.
The sheep tax disproportionately affected upland areas like Devon where sheep farming was widespread.
Many smallholders relied on sheep both for wool and as a food source.
The tax increased economic strain during a period of inflation and food shortages.
It fuelled perceptions that the government was out of touch with rural livelihoods.
Parish priests often acted as local leaders, voicing the concerns of their communities.
In Cornwall, priests who still favoured Catholic practices rallied support by framing the Prayer Book reforms as heretical. Their knowledge of Latin made them important defenders of traditional worship, further inspiring resistance among congregations.
Most Cornish speakers were not fluent in English in 1549. The enforced use of English services alienated them from their religious life.
This created resentment not just at the spiritual level, but also socially, as it symbolised cultural subjugation and loss of identity. The rebellion was therefore both a religious and linguistic protest.
Sampford Courtenay in Devon was where villagers first compelled their priest to revert to the Latin Mass on Whit Monday, 1549.
This direct act of defiance was pivotal because it provided a tangible starting point for coordinated resistance. Word spread rapidly, drawing in wider support from neighbouring regions and turning local defiance into a large-scale uprising.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
Identify two religious grievances expressed by rebels in the Western Rebellion of 1549.
Mark Scheme:
1 mark for each correct grievance identified.
Acceptable answers include:
Opposition to the use of the English Book of Common Prayer.
Desire for the restoration of the Latin Mass.
Resistance to the abolition of traditional rituals such as holy bread and holy water.
Anger at the removal of images and relics (iconoclasm).
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain how regional differences between Devon and Cornwall shaped the causes of the Western Rebellion of 1549.
Mark Scheme:
Award up to 2 marks for a clear description of Cornwall’s distinct grievances.
Examples: importance of the Cornish language, alienation caused by English-only services, perception of cultural suppression.
Award up to 2 marks for a clear description of Devon’s distinct grievances.
Examples: anger at land enclosures, resentment of the sheep tax, focus on economic disruption over language.
Award up to 2 marks for explanation of how these differences influenced the character or expression of rebellion.
Example: Cornwall’s grievances were culturally and linguistically based, while Devon’s centred more on socio-economic issues; both combined to broaden the rebellion’s appeal.
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