8 times the Cornish REBELLED against the English 📣🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❌

After they were annexed by England in the 9th century, there has been much discontent across Cornwall for English rule.

Largely, people in Cornwall have resisted the idea of Westminster ruling the Duchy. While calls for full independence are in the minority, many Cornish people to this day wish for more autonomy and possibly devolution.

This has come to a head a few times throughout history, when Cornwall has rebelled against the ruling powers in London!

Here are the eight most significant times…

The Cornish Rebellion of 1497

In 1497, Cornwall braced itself against a force they viewed as foreign – the English crown.

King Henry VII imposed new taxes to fund a campaign against Scotland, and for Cornishmen, the demand seemed absurd. 

Why should they, so distant from Scotland’s borders, pay for England’s conflict? 

The movement gathered momentum, and soon Michael An Gof, a blacksmith, and Thomas Flamank, a lawyer, led an army marching from Cornwall to Blackheath, near London. 

Thousands joined, but their determination met a brutal end. The English forces crushed them, capturing the leaders. 

For Cornwall, it was defeat; for An Gof, martyrdom.

The Second Cornish Uprising of 1497

Only months after the first rebellion, Cornwall’s simmering unrest erupted once more. This time, a pretender to the throne – Perkin Warbeck – landed in Cornwall, claiming to be Richard IV. 

The people rallied to his side, seizing the opportunity to rise again. 

Warbeck’s forces besieged Exeter, briefly gaining ground before dispersing as royal troops advanced. Despite their initial enthusiasm, the uprising faltered. 

Warbeck was captured and met a grim fate, leaving Cornwall under firm English control. Though unsuccessful, this second attempt underscored Cornish defiance, further straining relations with England – and sowing seeds of lasting resentment.

The Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549

In 1549, Cornwall faced a new cultural threat: the English-language Book of Common Prayer. 

For Cornwall, which had clung to its own language and Catholic traditions, the imposition felt like an erasure of identity. 

The government’s insistence on English-language services and Protestant practices stirred resentment, and soon, resistance turned to rebellion. 

Thousands took up arms, pushing back against the Crown’s religious agenda. 

The conflict culminated in brutal battles, with the largest at Clyst Heath, where English forces slaughtered Cornish fighters. 

The rebellion’s defeat was a devastating blow, accelerating the decline of the Cornish language and cultural autonomy.

Johnathon Trelawny’s imprisonment

Jonathan Trelawny, who was born in the 17th century, became a symbol of Cornish defiance against English authority.

His father, a Royalist, supported the monarchy in the English Civil War, while Jonathan’s own path led him to the church.

Ordained a priest in 1676, he became Bishop of Bristol in 1685, amidst a period of intense religious tension.

James II’s overt support for Catholicism and his policy shifts challenged Protestant England, straining loyalties and igniting widespread resistance.

When Trelawny and six other bishops defied James’s demand to endorse the Declaration of Indulgence for Catholics, they were arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

In Cornwall, news of Trelawny’s imprisonment outraged his supporters, but the region was worn from decades of battles for the Royalist cause.

The seven bishops’ trial in Westminster Hall on 30th June 1688 saw them acquitted, stirring celebrations across the country.

In Cornwall, bells rang in Pelynt, and cannons fired in joy.

Trelawny’s defiance is immortalised in the Cornish national anthem, Trelawny, based on the 19th-century ballad The Song of the Western Men by R.S. Hawker.

The Food Riots of the 19th Century

Cornwall entered the 19th century with more unrest as food shortages and rising taxes spread hardship across the region. 

While much of Britain saw similar discontent, Cornwall’s unique struggles made these riots especially potent. 

Economic hardship hit the local miners and farmers hard, pushing people to the streets in protest. 

Demonstrations, though not formally organised, were direct expressions of anger and desperation against economic policies that seemed indifferent to Cornwall’s suffering. 

These protests weren’t as large as past rebellions but illustrated Cornwall’s continued resistance against policies perceived as hostile, reinforcing a distinct sense of Cornish identity amid adversity.

Modern Cornish Nationalism (20th-21st Century)

In the modern era, Cornish resistance evolved from armed uprisings to a cultural revival. 

Founded in 1951, Mebyon Kernow (meaning “Sons of Cornwall”) emerged as a political voice for Cornish identity, pushing for recognition, autonomy and preserving Cornwall’s heritage. 

Campaigns ranged from legal battles for Cornish minority status to protests against overdevelopment. 

With each movement, modern Cornish nationalism focused on affirming Cornwall’s distinctiveness – striving for more than just symbolic recognition. 

While the confrontations of the past have faded, the spirit of defiance endures – now aimed at protecting Cornish culture and autonomy within a changing United Kingdom.