THE mayor and councillors of Bodmin Town Council were accompanied by members of the Bodmin Old Cornwall Society (OCS) and London Cornish Association, at 10.45am on June 27, to the ‘Thomas Flamank’ Memorial Plaque, Fore Street, Bodmin.

They lay wreaths commemorating the Bodmin solicitor ‘Thomas Flamank’ and ‘An Gof’ (The Blacksmith), Coverack, being hanged, drawn and quartered at a corresponding time on June 17, 1497, for having led 15,000 protesters to London against their excessive taxation to support King Henry’s VII War against Scotland.

A spokesperson said: “The 1497 Protest Marchers must have been very well organised, being able to leave their work without losing their jobs and cottage, so must have been financed by the local Gentry. Moving and collecting 15,000 men would have taken a week or ten days to trek the 250 miles to London at about 25 miles per day and must have been quite an undertaking, to have such large numbers tramp through communities wanting to purchase food etc.

“Even the sanitary arrangements with so many moving through any one area must have made for a certain amount of contamination!

“It must have been rather ‘rough’ as there would have been no sleeping accommodation unless in the churches, irrespective of the weather, and no doubt vegetable gardens and chicken hutches might have been robbed of their content as the protesters passed through! The charity of villagers would not have been able to support so many. 50 priests and 69 women went on the march. The onslaught at Blackheath saw King Henry’s 25,000 trained soldiers kill over 2,000 Cornishmen!

“Fearing reprisals, the heads of the Cornishmen hung, drawn and quartered were stuck on pikes on London Bridge rather than posted as initially intended to all corners of the nation. Corresponding commemorations took place at An Gof’s home at Coverack.

“Then, 40 years later, Cornwall had its own ‘Prayer Book Rebellion’, resulting in the loss of its language, regional status, Stannery Parliament and rights, at the conclusion of which Mayor of Bodmin Nicholas Boyer, and the Mayor of St Ives respectively entertained the King’s representatives to a banquet, but were hanged outside their Council Chambers for having supported the Rebellion.”

This is to be commemorated at 3pm on Monday, August 18, at St Petroc’s Church, Bodmin, supported by each of the County’s Old Cornwall Societies.”