The Lincolnshire Rising

This plaque is on a wall by St James Church Louth.

It commemorates the Lincolnshire Rising a brief but bloody dissent of Roman Catholics against the establishment of the Church of England by Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries set in motion by Thomas Cromwell's suggested plan of asserting the nation's religious autonomy and the king's supremacy over religious matters.

The rising began at this church after evensong on 1 October 1536, shortly after the closure of Louth Abbey. The stated aim of the uprising was only against the attempt to suppress the religious houses, these being Catholic, and was not against Henry VIII himself.
With support from local gentry, a force of demonstrators, estimated at up to 40,000, marched on Lincoln and, by 14 October, occupied Lincoln Cathedral. They demanded the freedom to continue worshipping as Catholics, and protection for the treasures of Lincolnshire churches.

The accuracy of this plaque is in question. The vicar was certainly hanged at Tyburn, but not, as is stated, drawn and quartered. However that particularly barbaric form of execution was inflicted on other leaders of the insurrection.