Simon of Sudbury and The Peasants' Revolt

In 1380, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon of Sudbury became Lord Chancellor of England.

Seen as responsible for introducing the third poll tax, Simon met a horrible end when the peasants stormed the Tower of London during the Peasants’ Revolt, or the Great Rising of 1381. It is strongly believed that it was an inside job by someone inside the tower, otherwise it is really difficult to imagine how these peasants passed through the armed fortress.The key fact is that the peasants were allowed to enter to the Tower by the King himself!

The peasants dragged him from his chamber to Tower Hill, struck off his head and placed it on a spike on Tower Bridge.

A man from Sudbury grabbed it in the middle of the night and brought it back to his hometown in a barrel of brine.

While the archbishop’s body was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, the head has been kept at St. Gregory’s Church at Sudbury in Suffolk ever since.

Sudbury Skull

It is believed Simon of Sudbury volunteered himself to be handed to the peasants.He spent all the night praying and saying things like “What are they waiting for?”…

Actually all this worked and peasants left and the King ruled for several more years.

The reconstructed face of Simon of Sudbury