Question 1
Evaluate the interpretations in both of the two passages and explain which you think is more convincing as an explanation of the effectiveness of the government response to the Western
Rebellion.
Passage A
The Devonshire JPs lacked the confidence to impose the government’s will; they could do nothing to prevent such outrages as the murder of one of the gentry who urged the people to remain peaceful and obedient. The main army of the rebels moved round Exeter where they made camp and fortified the bridge on the Exeter road. The commoners, encouraged by the disagreement between the gentry, started to block the highways into Exeter. They were now determined to force Carew to hear their case. They took and imprisoned some of the Exeter merchants and gentry. Meanwhile Exeter was under siege. During the siege the citizens maintained contact with Russell through spies, but they were always in danger of being betrayed by one of their own number. There were several violent clashes with the besiegers. When they tried to set fire to the gates, the citizens used their ordnance against them charged with bags of flint and shot. A mine laid by the rebels under the city wall had to be flooded. On 6 August Russell reached the walls of Exeter, but despite his formidable army he did not feel sufficiently confident to advance into the disordered far west. The rebels showed courage and determination in facing the overwhelming royal army. The final struggle was prolonged. Royal troops were caught in the rear and it required a threefold attack to force the rebels to retire. Many rebels were captured and killed in the chase that followed and in the engagements when groups of rebels turned to fight in Somerset and at Okehampton; about 4,000 West Country folk are said to have died.
Adapted from: A. Fletcher and D. MacCulloch, Tudor Rebellions, revised fifth edition, published in 2008.
Passage B
The defenders of Crediton held their ground. Rather than accept the rebels’ defiance, Carew and his men attempted to advance but were driven back. The hail of arrows took its toll, and within minutes the wounded littered the road. In an attempt to avoid defeat, a retainer of one of the gentry set fire to the barns. As the flames spread through the thatched roofs and dry straw where the rebels hid, the occupants fled for their lives. Ten rebels died. Carew’s men advanced into Crediton, but the victory was hollow since everyone except the very poor and elderly had fled. The victors of Crediton achieved nothing of value. No rebels meekly accepted pardon; no ringleaders were captured, and no army was destroyed. Supported by a fresh grievance, the burning of the barns at Crediton, the rebels were better able to win over new converts. Leaders might now appeal to peasants and artisans using the argument that the gentry were bent on their destruction and would, if necessary, smoke them from their homes like vermin. As a contemporary admitted, ‘the fame and rumour of the burning of the barns was so spread throughout the whole country that the next day the people like a swarm of wasps were up in a variety of places.’ Later, when Carew returned to London, Somerset blamed him for starting the fires, for they undoubtedly realised that Carew’s foolish act of desperation served only to intensify social conflict. The charred barns and houses of Crediton stood as grim reminders of the widening cleavage between the landowning gentry and the masses of working men and women.
Adapted from: B. L. Beer, Riot and Rebellion, published in 1982.
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Answer
