London Guided Walks » Episode 152: The Peasants’ Revolt Part I – How It Came About

Episode 152: The Peasants’ Revolt Part I – How It Came About

Uncover the causes behind the revolt—from oppressive taxation and the aftermath of the Black Death to social tensions with the crown and the church—and follow the rebels’ march from Essex and Kent to the heart of London. Discover the people, events, and lasting impact of this pivotal moment in the city’s history.

Host: Hazel Baker

Hazel is an active Londoner, a keen theatre-goer and qualified CIGA London tour guide.

She has won awards for tour guiding and is proud to be involved with some great organisations. She is a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and am an honorary member of The Leaders Council.

Channel 5’s Walking Wartime Britain(Episode 3) and Yesterday Channel’s The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Het Rampjaar 1672, Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland and Arte.fr Invitation au Voyage, À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément.

Guest: Ian McDiarmid

Ian McDiarmid qualified as a City of London tour guide in 2017 and has a particular passion for Roman and Medieval history, having in an earlier incarnation studied history at Cambridge and London universities.

He began working life in the early 80s in the City, and has since written extensively on the share and bond markets as a journalist. He loves talking finance and taking people around the narrow alleys where today’s massive trading centre was born.

When not walking and talking, Ian enjoys pottering about in the garden. His expertise is such that he often spends several hours doing this.

Hazel : Welcome to the London History Podcast, where we explore the stories, people, and places that have shaped this incredible city. I am Hazel Baker from London Guided Walks. In this episode, we’re travelling back to one of the most dramatic moments in medieval London, the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. What began as a protest against taxes in rural Essex and Kent erupted into a full-scale uprising that brought thousands of rebels into the heart of the city, demanding justice, freedom, and reform. London suddenly became the stage for a violent confrontation between commoners and the crown. Joining me to unpack this turbulent chapter in two episodes is Ian McDiarmid,

Transcript:

[00:01:00]
A City of London guide and lecturer who specialises in medieval and early modern London. Ian also runs walking tours that trace the footsteps of medieval Londoners—from merchants, monks to, well, yes, you’ve guessed it, rebellious peasants. Today, we’ll explore what drove ordinary people to rise up and how Londoners responded. And in part two, we’ll see how the revolt really spread through London and what legacies it left on the city.

Hazel: Hello, Ian. Welcome.

Ian: Hello, Hazel.

Hazel: It’s your first episode of 2026. How about that?

Ian: Very exciting.

Hazel: I was looking at what we’ve done in the past and we have done a The Black Death of episode, number 38, which might be useful for anyone wanting more context on what we’re talking about today. But it’s worth really challenging the actual naming of this revolt. It’s called the Peasants’ Revolt, but that’s a bit misleading, isn’t it?

[00:02:00]
Ian: Yes, it is. We’ve run with that title for fear of confusing people if we don’t use it. But professional historians abandoned the term about 40 years ago. We keep it for convenience, but it doesn’t describe the participants accurately. The problem goes back to the chroniclers of the time, many of whom were attached to monasteries and had a jaundiced view of the rebels. They often described them as the lowest of the low, using terms like roos, which we would translate as peasants. But many participants were better off than that. Rodney Hilton pointed out that several imprisoned after the revolt could actually be regarded as petty gentry, farming several hundred acres with incomes up to £50.

[00:03:00]
Ian: One example is Thomas Waltham of St. Alban’s Abbey, continuing the Chronicle of Matthew Paris. St. Alban’s had a troubled relationship with the town, and in 1381, tensions over obligations like milling grain in the abbey’s mill resurfaced, echoing earlier violence from the 1320s. Chroniclers often depicted the rebellion as outrageous and godless, partly because it suited their polemical purposes.

[00:05:00]
Hazel: Can you outline the background to the rising?

Ian: Sure. The revolt was principally caused by three factors: taxation, warfare, and long-term economic changes. The taxation was heavy, particularly the three poll taxes of 1381, which hit the poor the hardest. Commissioners sent to enforce collection were intrusive and resented. The crown’s failures in warfare, such as the costly and unsuccessful campaigns of the Hundred Years’ War, created a sense of incompetence and corruption. And long-term economic changes following the Black Death gave peasants greater bargaining power, which landowners resented and attempted to suppress, leading to friction.

[00:08:00]
Hazel: Could you tell us a little more about how the population decline after the Black Death changed English society?

Ian: One effect was that labour became far more valuable. Surviving peasants could negotiate better terms or migrate. Some customary tenants became copyholders, paying rent in cash rather than labour services. Landowners attempted to restore the old system through legal pressures, causing resentment. Although there was little serfdom in London, other regions like Essex and Kent still felt its effects. The revolt focused on perceived injustices, including abuses of manorial rights and church privileges.

[00:10:00]
Ian: After the Black Death, customary obligations—labour on the lord’s demesne, transport of goods, and maintenance of roads—were deeply resented. The Statute of Labourers (1351) tried to freeze wages at pre-Black Death levels, provoking further anger. Artisans and peasants alike were affected, leading to mounting tension that contributed directly to the revolt.

[00:18:00]
Hazel: Wasn’t the backdrop to the rising the Hundred Years’ War, beginning in 1337 over England’s possession of Aquitaine?

Ian: Yes. Aquitaine had passed into English hands through Eleanor of Aquitaine. Conflicts over homage, succession, and control led to protracted warfare. The early English successes, like the capture of the French king at Poitiers (1356) and the Treaty of Brétigny (1360), eventually gave way to military and financial difficulties. Failed campaigns, especially those led by Thomas of Woodstock in 1380, necessitated high taxation, including the infamous third poll tax, which triggered the revolt.

[00:24:00]
Hazel: Could you explain the three poll taxes during Edward III’s reign?

Ian: The first in 1377 demanded 4 pence from every male and female over 14. The second, in 1379, introduced a sliding scale. The third, in 1380, was a flat rate of 12 pence per person, an enormous sum of £160,000. Everyone over 15 was liable, with married couples taxed separately. Evading this tax and the intrusive enforcement measures by commissioners fuelled widespread resentment.

[00:29:00]
Hazel: Richard II was only 14 when the revolt broke out. How important was that?

Ian: Very. England lacked a strong, authoritative monarch. Edward III had become senile, the Black Prince had died, and Richard II was a child. The young king’s administration was manipulated by favourites like Alice Perrers, William Latimer, and Richard Lyons, perceived as corrupt, intensifying public dissatisfaction.

[00:33:00]
Hazel: John of Gaunt was particularly hated by Londoners. Why?

Ian: Gaunt punished those involved with the Good Parliament’s reforms and opposed Londoners’ liberties. His heavy-handed actions, such as threatening the city and demanding public penance, left a legacy of bitterness, especially around the Savoy Palace.

[00:37:00]
Hazel: And the insurrection began in Kent and Essex?

Ian: Yes. The imposition of the third poll tax, combined with new administration figures like Chancellor Sudbury and Treasurer Sir Robert Hales, provoked rebellion. Tax evasion was widespread, and intrusive collection methods inflamed tensions. By early June, riots and resistance in Brentwood, Essex, and Kent escalated. Rebels easily captured castles, sometimes aided by collusion from within, such as Sir John Newton at Rochester. Wat Tyler emerged as a key leader, coordinating the march on London.

[00:42:00]
Hazel: They reached London via Blackheath?

Ian: Correct. On 13 June (Corpus Christi Day), Richard II met the rebels at Deptford. Negotiations failed, with the rebels sending a list of royal councilors they wanted executed, but they maintained loyalty to the king himself. This pattern of action highlights that the revolt targeted the king’s advisors, not the monarch.

[00:45:00]
Hazel: So the rebels have just entered London, and the revolt is truly underway. We will cover the London activity during the summer of 1381 in part two. While you wait, listeners can explore related blog posts on topics like the history of Marshalsea Prison, the five aldermen, John of Gaunt and the Savoy Palace, and Alice Perrers, Mistress of Edward III, for context. Thank you, Ian.

Ian: Thank you, Hazel.