St Keverne

This statue in St Keverne commemorates The Cornish rebellion of 1497 which was started in St Keverne by a blacksmith called Michael An Gof and a lawyer from Bodmin Thomas Flamank. They were protesting in response to the raising of war taxes by King Henry VII who had also recently stopped the legal operation of its tin-mining in Cornwall. They decided to form an army and march to London.

It’s believed an army of around 10,000 made it to London where on June 17th 1497 they met the Kings army in Deptford, in what is known as the Battle of Blackheath. The Cornish fought hard but ultimately were outnumbered, poorly trained and equipped and lacked cavalry. They stood little chance of winning.

An Gof and Flamank were both captured fleeing the battle and later hung at Tyburn. Over 500 years later they are still celebrated in Cornwall for standing up for their independence over the English.