Evil May Day

Evil May Day or Ill May Day is the name for a riot which took place in 1517 as a protest against foreigners living in London.

Causes

According to the chronicler Edward Hall (c. 1498–1547), a fortnight before the riot an inflammatory xenophobic speech was made on Easter Tuesday by a Dr. Bell at St. Paul's Cross at the instigation of John Lincoln, a broker. Bell called on all "Englishmen to cherish and defend themselves, and to hurt and grieve aliens for the common weal". [Steve Rappaport, "Worlds Within Worlds: Structures of Life in Sixteenth-Century London" (Cambridge University Press, 2002), p. 15.] Over the proceeding two weeks there were sporadic attacks on foreigners and rumours were abound "that on May Day next the city would rebel and slay all aliens". [Ibid.]

The mayor and aldermen, afraid of any possible disturbances, announced on 8.30pm 30 April that there would be a 9.00pm curfew that night. John Mundy, a local alderman, travelling through Cheapside on his way home that night, saw a group of young men after the curfew. Mundy ordered the men to remove themselves from the streets to which one replied: "Why?" Mundy replied: "Thou shalt know" and grabbed his arm to arrest him. The man's friends defended him and Mundy fled "in great danger". [Ibid.]

The Riot

Within a few hours approximately a thousand young male apprentices had congregated in Cheapside. The mob freed several prisoners who were locked up for attacking foreigners and proceeded to St Martin le Grand, a privileged liberty north of St Paul's Cathedral where numerous foreigners lived. Here they were met by the under-sheriff of London, Thomas More, who attempted vainly to persuade them to return to their homes. However as soon as More had calmed them the inhabitants of St Martin started to throw stones, bricks, bats and boiling water from their windows which also fell on an official who screamed: "Down with them!".

This sparked panic in the mob and they looted foreigners' houses there and elsewhere in the city, although no one was killed. By 3am the riot had died down and the three hundred people arrested were pardoned. However thirteen of the rioters were convicted of treason and executed on 4 May, and Lincoln was executed three days later. This account by Hall is mirrored by a letter to the Venetian doge written five days after the riot. [Ibid, p. 16.]

While the mob were on the rampage shots were fired from the Tower of London.

In a different version the rioters closed the city gates to prevent the King's guard from being reinforced and then temporarily took control over the city. King Henry VIII was woken up in the middle of the night at his residence in Richmond and was told of the mayhem ensuing in the capital. Then forces under the command of the Duke of Norfolk (or the Earl of Shrewsbury and Duke of Suffolk) and his son the Earl of Surrey finally arrived in the city and seized prisoners.

The Aftermath

By 5th May there were over five thousand troops in London. [Carolly Erickson, "Great Harry: The Extravagant Life of Henry VIII" (Robson Books, 2004), p. 148.] Sir Thomas Seymour was sheriff during Evil May Day and he helped repress the riot and thereafter became unpopular with many.

When the prisoners had an audience with King Henry VIII in Westminster Hall, the nobility present got on their knees to plead for a pardon for the prisoners. Henry announced the pardon and the prisoners "took the halters from their necks and danced and sang". [Fergus Linnane, "The Encyclopedia of London Crime" (Sutton Publishing, 2005), p. 88.]

Notes

References

*Carolly Erickson, "Great Harry: The Extravagant Life of Henry VIII" (Robson Books, 2004).
*Fergus Linnane, "The Encyclopedia of London Crime" (Sutton Publishing, 2005).
*Steve Rappaport, "Worlds Within Worlds: Structures of Life in Sixteenth-Century London" (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
*Jasper Ridley, "Henry VIII" (Penguin Classics, 2002).