Home > Battle of Deptford Bridge, 1497

Rebels from Cornwall, led by Michael An Gof (AKA Michael Joseph; An Gof is Cornish for blacksmith) and Thomas Flamank (a Bodmin landowner's son), had marched to London to protest about the unfair taxation of Cornwall (the money was being raised in order to finance an invasion of Scotland). En route, they gathered support from the yeomen of Plymouth and forces led by James Touchet, Lord Audley in Somerset.

After fighting a minor battle near Guildford, Surrey, they were hopeful of gaining further support from people in KentThis article is about the English county of Kent. See also Kent (disambiguation). Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. The county town is Maidstone. Kent has land borders with East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London, and a defined boundary wi (the focus of Jack CadeJack Cade was the leader of the 1450 Kent rebellion which took place in the time of King Henry VI in England. Some sources suggest Cade was of Irish origin but raised in Sussex where he is alleged to have murdered a woman in 1449. He escaped to France but's rebellion of 1450Events March French troops under Guy de Richemont besiege the English commander in France, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, in Caen April 15 Battle of Formigny. French troops under the Comte de Clermont defeat an English army under Sir Thomas Kyriel and), but despite rallying at Cade's meeting place at nearby BlackheathBlackheath is a place in London, England, divided between the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich (the borough boundary runs across the middle of the heath, with the Village in Lewisham and the Blackheath Standard area and Westc were disappointed.

As a result, the Cornish rebels were soundly beaten by King Henry VIIHenry VII ( January 28, 1457 April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland ( August 22, 1485 April 21, 1509), was the founder of the Tudor dynasty and is generally acknowledged as one of England's most successful kings. King of England, Lord of Irelan's forces led by Lord Daubeney . Much of the battle took place on the eastern side of the Ravensbourne, on the hillside up to the plateau of Blackheath - as a result, it is sometimes called the 'Battle of Blackheath'. Figures from the battle vary though they generally place the losses of Daubeney's forces within single figures next to over 1000 Cornishmen.

The three leaders (An Gof, Flamank and Audley) were all executed, on 24 June 1497. An Gof and Flamank suffered the traitor's fate of being hanged, drawn and quarteredDrawing and quartering was part of the penalty anciently ordained in England for treason. It is considered by many to be the epitome of "cruel" punishment and was reserved for traitors because treason was deemed more heinous than murder and other capital at TyburnTyburn was the principal location in London for public executions by hanging. It was at the junction between two Roman roads, (now Oxford Street and Edgware Road, near where the Marble Arch now stands), and executions took place there for many centuries., while Audley was beheaded on Tower Hill. Their heads were displayed on pike-staffs on London Bridge.